Snowbound
by RocknVaughn
Summary: Eight months have passed since that fateful night on the baseball field. Josie wrote her story...but Sam never showed. With Josie still pining for her soulmate and Sam still angry and distrustful, fate intervenes and they cross paths again.
1. Chapter 1

Snowbound, Part 1  
By RocknVaughn

- - -

"Josie?" Anita said as she stuck her head through the doorway of Josie's office.

"Huh?" Her concentration broken, Josie looked up from her computer screen to find Anita lounging against the doorjamb.

"Gus wants to see you in his office," Anita continued.

Josie looked back down at the monitor for a moment to save her work onto disk and shut down her writing program. "Did he say what for?"

Anita rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Something about some wild goose chase story he wants to send you on."

Josie just shook her head. Anita usually exaggerated quite a bit when it came to Gus. Theirs had been an on-again, off-again romantic attachment that was currently in an off phase. "Oh, Anita… Surely, it can't be _that_ bad…" She smiled slightly at her friend as she passed her in the doorway and then turned and walked toward Gus' office.

Lost in thought, Anita stood watching her friend enter Gus' office and close the door. But Anita was not thinking about Gus at that moment; she was thinking about Josie.

Josie had indeed officially earned the title of "reporter" after the success of her "Never Been Kissed" article, which had followed her disastrous undercover assignment at South Glen South. She was now a contributing Features writer…and moving quickly up through the ranks. Working on Features instead of hard news/expose type articles allowed her to search out the feel-good human-interest stories that she was so talented at writing. Yes, Josie Geller had certainly _arrived_ when it came to being a reporter.

But sadly, that was the _only_ success that had come from her very public bid to win back the affection of Sam Coulson.

Josie had put her pride and heart on the line to stand out on that baseball field, hoping beyond hope that love would prevail and bring him back to her. Only in this case…it hadn't, because Sam never showed up (a fact that made Anita want to kill him because Josie was, in _her_ mind at least, the best thing that would ever happen to that worthless excuse for a man…). And although Josie put on a brave face for the crowd, Anita knew it had emotionally crippled her to be publicly shunned by her "mystery teacher."

For a while, Josie had held out hope that maybe Sam hadn't _seen_ her article, that he'd gone away, or even that maybe he'd gone off to be with his ex- girlfriend Lara…_anything_ but believe that he'd turn her away, even after knowing how she felt. But Josie was grasping at straws, and she knew it. The story had been in newspapers and on television programs throughout the country; it was a pretty slim bet that he hadn't heard of the story and read the article. And a few well-placed phone calls quickly determined that Sam was still living in Chicago…and still teaching at South Glen South as if nothing had ever happened…as if Josie had never even _existed_ for him.

Once the realization had hit Josie that Sam had simply not loved her or not forgiven her—or both—she had retreated back into her shell. Oh, she had kept up the outward appearance of beauty that she had learned while at South Glen South, but she let no man affect her. Lots of men at the office…and lots of men outside the office, for that matter…had asked her out, but she politely refused them all. As far as Josie was concerned, she'd gambled on true love, and she'd lost. If she couldn't have that, she wasn't going to settle for less.

Anita wished there was something…anything…she could do to get her best friend to believe in love—in life—again. Even Anita knew that Josie needed to put Sam Coulson behind her and move on. But seven months after that fateful Prom night where everything in Josie's world had fallen apart, that still hadn't happened…and Anita was beginning to think that maybe it never would.

Sighing heavily, Anita pushed away from the wall and headed back to the stack of classified ads on her desk that she needed to finish before five.

- - -

Josie closed the door to Gus' office and sat down in the chair before his desk. "Anita said you needed to see me?" she began.

"Geller…" Gus jumped right in with his no-nonsense style. "I got a story I want you to work on."

Josie leaned forward, "Yes…what is it?"

Gus leaned back in his chair, balancing a pen between his two index fingers. "I need you to go to Green Bay."

"As in Green Bay, _Wisconsin_?" Josie asked incredulously. "What's in Green Bay that's so important to our readers here in Chicago?"

"In Green Bay, so I'm told, a group of aging parents of mentally handicapped adults have banded together to create a group home for their children."

Josie waved her hands as if she wanted Gus to continue. "And…? I don't get it…"

"Look, Geller, this housing system for the mentally handicapped is in bad shape. There are many more individuals that need to be placed in homes than there are places for them. And unfortunately for those parents who decided to keep their children at home instead of sending them away all those years ago, the people who _were_ institutionalized are given first preference for available housing. The spots available for handicapped children that live at home, therefore, are very slim."

"_These_ were people who were sick of having their children on an endless wait list for non-existent housing and decided to _do_ something about it. Instead of lobbying for more homes, they took all the steps necessary to create a privately initiated group home that would be approved by the Office of Housing and Urban Development. And mind you, that is no easy task, even for state agencies that do it all the time. Each proposal is looked at on a case-by-case basis and the only the best are awarded with grants. It's the first privately created, publicly subsidized group home in the Midwest."

Josie's attention was instantly whetted, just as Gus had known it would be. This kind of story was the kind she craved…to see the "little people" prevail against great odds.

"Really? That sounds fascinating! When do you want me to go?"

"Tomorrow morning," Gus answered, not blinking.

"Tomorrow?" Josie repeated. "The Wednesday before Christmas? Gus, I don't know…"

"Well, you don't have any choice," he returned, "because your appointment to meet with them has been set for noon tomorrow."

"Gus…"

"Geller, it's the perfect story for Christmas. People are feeling more charitable, 'Good will toward men…' and all that stuff. Good time to remind people that others are still struggling. Also gives other people in their situation some hope. That's the kind of stuff that sells papers," Gus explained.

Josie rebutted, "Wait a minute… I thought you told me that sex scandals, suicides, and bribery sells papers?"

"For _news_ stories, yes. But for the _features_…it's the sappy, heartstring stuff," he clarified.

Josie sighed, and shook her head at him.

Gus saw this and smiled, knowing he'd won. "Then on Thursday morning, you have a meeting with the local rep for HUD, who you can ask about the details of what needed to be done, etc."

"Uh, huh…"

"So I'll want you back in the office on Thursday afternoon so that you can push out the story for the Christmas Eve edition. If it's good, it could mean section cover spot for you," Gus offered.

Josie was impressed, although she knew it would require a lot of work…and a lot of driving. "I assume there's no budget for a flight there and back?"

"Not this time a year, there isn't," Gus answered. "I don't have much to work with this late in the fiscal year, so we have to make do. If you drive, I'll pay for the mileage…and of course, for your accommodations overnight in Green Bay."

"Okay, Gus. I'll do it. I admit, I'm not thrilled you dumped this on me so close to the holidays…but, it _does_ sound like a pretty amazing story…" Josie got up from her chair. "I guess I need to go put my finishing touches on the update piece about the family burned out of their home two weeks ago. They received so much help from the first article that they now have at least twice the presents for the kids they started with. And that's not including all the replacement clothing, etc…"

"Fine. Finish it up and get it in here so I can get it proofed before five…" Gus intoned, looking back down to the piles of paperwork on his desk.

Josie rolled her eyes and standing in the doorway, teased, "Since when have you had to proofread _my_ stories?"

Gus knew Josie had a point, but he wasn't going admit it to her. "Geller?… Out."

Josie shook her head and smiled, heading back to her office. She had an article to finish.

- - -

Sam looked at his watch as he stuffed his last pair of sweatpants into his large black hockey equipment bag (which for now was doubling as a suitcase…). It said 2:21pm. School had let out for the Christmas break at noon and he was raring to get on the road. Since it was only Wednesday, he was hoping to beat the majority of holiday travelers. Zipping up the bag, he turned his head as the telephone started to ring. Crossing the room, he picked up the handset from the bedside table.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Sam, honey…It's Mom."

Sam sighed, rolling his eyes. "Hi, Mom…again."

"I'm sorry, dear, but…are you _really_ sure you don't want to spend Christmas with us here? I just don't like the idea of you being all alone up at that cabin like this…" Sarah Coulson asked worriedly.

"Mom…thank you, but I'm sure. I'm…just not in the mood for celebrating this year. I'd rather be alone, if that's okay."

Sarah sighed deeply. She knew that her middle son was hurting… In fact, he had been hurting ever since that past May, when he found out that the woman he'd been falling in love with had been using him, lying to him. Granted, there were some extenuating circumstances involved, but she understood her son's pain and feelings of betrayal. However, she had never agreed with his decision not to allow Josie Geller back into his life. It was obvious that he still pined for her; at least it was obvious to Sarah. She supposed he probably hid it better from the rest of the world than he did his own mother.

But no one who knew him before Josie Geller came along could deny that Sam was a changed man after that experience. Luckily, he'd seen the light before he ran headlong off to New York to be with Lara. Sarah knew that Lara just was not right for her son and that rebounding back to her would have been disastrous for them both.

She also had a sneaking suspicion that maybe Josie Geller _was_ the right woman for Sam: and it was that fact that she believed ate away at her son so much.

Sam, it seemed, had given up on love. He apparently had no interest in dating, and according to Abby, he hadn't breathed a word of even one date since that fateful spring night…and he told Abby everything.

Sarah knew that going to the cabin to be alone was Sam's attempt at running from his emotions. But she knew that no matter how much he tried to avoid dealing with his feelings for Josie, sooner or later they would catch up with him anyway.

"All right," Sarah finally acquiesced. "I understand. But bring your cell phone, okay? That place really is two right turns from nowhere, and I don't like the idea of you up there with no way to contact anyone in an emergency."

Shaking his head and smiling, Sam agreed, "Okay, Mom…if you're really _that_ concerned, I promise to bring it with me, all right?"

"Thanks," she said, the smile in her voice, "for humoring your old mother."

Sam chuckled.

"You _will_ stop by on your way home, though, won't you? It won't be the same without you."

"Yes, I'll stop there on my way back to the city, Mom. I promise. And…thanks for understanding," he finished hesitantly.

"Sure."

"Give my love to Dad and the guys, will you? And when you speak to her, tell Abby I'll give her a call myself soon."

"Okay, will do. And this time I promise to leave you alone. No more phone calls…" Sarah vowed. "Oh, and Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you," she replied.

Sam smiled softly. "I love you too, Mom. Talk to you soon. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you, too, Sam. Bye," Sarah said, and then hung up.

- - -

Later that evening, after he had settled in at the cabin, Sam used an iron poker to rearrange the logs in the fireplace and then sat back on the floor in front of it, leaning his back against the sofa. A light lake effect snow was falling outside, covering the trees and ground with a glistening blanket of white.

Sam picked up a copy of Jane Eyre and tried to concentrate on the story, but it wasn't long before he began to envision himself as the stoic Mr. Rochester and Josie as the soft, shy Jane falling in love against all odds.

Putting the open book face down on the floor, Sam stared at the mesmerizing dance of the flames for a few long minutes. He tried like hell to not think about it: to not think about _her_…but it wasn't working. He had hoped that getting away from Chicago, away from his job, away from his well-meaning family and friends, would allow him to rest from the constant barrage of thoughts and feelings about Josie Geller. Instead, the quiet and solitude of his surroundings only made all of it come closer to the surface.

About seven months had passed since that terrible evening at the South Glen 1999 Senior Prom, but in his mind, it was as clear as if it had happened that day. Everything about Josie seemed etched in his mind whether he liked it or not: the way she would blush at anything resembling a compliment, the way her whole face lit up when she smiled, her love of knowledge and literature, they way she could passionately argue the finer points of any work he himself had read, her incredible talent as a writer. But most of all, it was her beautifully expressive green eyes that seemed to never leave him. Anytime he closed his eyes, he could see them: first happy, then sad…afraid and then pained…and oh, the love that he was sure he'd seen in them, many times but most especially on that fateful night. His dreams were filled with those eyes, haunted by them.

He'd tried so hard to move on, to push anything to do with Josie Geller out of his life for good, and yet it seemed that he could not forget her.

He'd been so angry, so hurt that night. He had been so vulnerable…

Indeed, he had been "in the very wrath of love" as the Bard would have put it: about to put everything else in his life on the line to finally admit to the feelings for Josie that had grown beyond all containment. And just moments later, his whole world had crumbled around him. No, that wasn't right, he admitted. The world hadn't crumbled…just his heart: his heart, and maybe his faith in love. How could she have done that to him? How could she have made him believe in her…made him love her, just so that she could ruin his life? And how could she have possibly been anything he thought she had been if she could do that?

The obvious answer at the time had been that she _couldn't_ have been anything like the person he'd fallen in love with. The story she was working on had been about him; the black man he'd caught Josie speaking to outside the country club had said it. He'd had two bitter days and nights to think about it before her article appeared in the newspaper, asking for his forgiveness. A part of him _did_ want to forgive her. But on the other hand, he was afraid that her "story" had only been a last ditch effort to salvage her career, and it was that sentiment that won out in the end.

Now…well, he wasn't so sure.

Thinking back again to that night at the prom, he remembered the events leading up to Josie's revelation in almost perfect detail. Josie had said she had something to tell him…and she looked awfully nervous about it. At the time, he had thought it was simply that she was going to reveal her feelings for him. But looking back at it now, maybe it had been more than that. Because then she had removed her hand from his long enough to remove the small pin she always wore, dropping it purposely to the floor and stepping on it. He remembered hearing it crunch beneath her heel. Why would she have done that? Was it possible this was some sort of bug or wire? That would make sense as to how they would know of her progress… And if it _had_ been a bug…why would she have taken it off? That didn't make any sense if she were indeed trying to write a story about his "inappropriate" feelings for her.

Also, there was the reason she'd been distracted from his moment of revelation. The popular kids were about to play a terrible prank on Aldys Wells…the girl who had first befriended Josie at South Glen. As part of the "popular crowd", she had no obligation to do anything to help Aldys, but yet she had been propelled into action, almost as if driven by her own internal demons. She had blown everything: her cover, her story, and her chance of a potential relationship with him, just to save the girl from humiliation. She'd put Aldys before herself, and that did not jive with the image of the self-serving liar he'd made Josie out to be in his mind.

And then…there was that article.

Sam reached up behind him and pulled a scrapbook from the seat of the sofa, placing it in his lap. Opening to the first page, the headline "Never Been Kissed" stared back at him…along with three pictures, all of Josie. Sighing heavily, he began to read the article for what was probably the thousandth time. He had read it so much, he could probably have recited it verbatim, but still, it seemed that some different aspect of her story—of her—jumped out at him each time. Her writing was so sweet, so unassumingly shy, and so full of hope: so much like the Josie he had loved. And as much as he hated to admit it, it was pretty obvious from the evening news and the papers next day that she had been devastated when he didn't show up at her little media circus.

Flipping the page, he looked at another article written by Josie: a story about a woman who chosen to give up chemotherapy in favor of trying to carry her pregnancy to term. It was so poignant and expertly written that the emotions just poured off the page.

It was the same, story after story. Each time, Josie had found a small, quiet, overlooked corner of everyday life and chose to shine her light upon it, making it glow for all to see. And he should know…his scrapbook contained every one of her articles.

Was it possible…that he had been wrong? This was the thought that tormented him night after night, forcing him to see her in his dreams and in every petite blonde that walked by him on the streets, hearing her in just about any song on the radio…calling out to him, taunting him. What if… she were the right one— his penguin in Josie-speak—and he had thrown it all away?

Pushing off the floor, he headed to the kitchen, opened the fridge door, and pulled out a beer. Twisting off the cap, he took a long swig. This going around in mental circles was getting him nowhere…because the fact remained that Josie Geller was now in his past…and that was where she was going to stay, whether he liked it or not.

- - -

Josie dragged herself into her hotel room in Green Bay, closing the door by leaning heavily against it. Limply dropping her bags in the entryway, she crossed the room to collapse across the bed. Although quite satisfying, the day had turned out to be an incredibly busy one. Her meeting with the parents of the clients in the new group home then became a tour of the facility, which then became an interview with the clients and staff. After a celebratory dinner, she spent three hours sitting in a deserted Starbucks coffee bar, putting her notes together in the computer and drafting an outline for her article.

Tomorrow, she still needed to meet with their representative at HUD and get the details of the myriad of codes and regulations the parents had had to meet in order to be able to apply for government backing. But all in all, she couldn't wait to put this story on paper, so to speak.

But with her mental and physical reserves so low, she wasn't able to stop the flood of thoughts about Sam from overwhelming her. That always seemed to happen when she was alone. It was as if his memory was just waiting in the wings, waiting for its cue to take center stage in her mind.

As tears welled in her eyes, she remembered so many things about him: the ride on the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier and how he had been so frightened, yet had jumped to help her; the day they had painted the prom backdrop together, getting into a paint fight in the process; the many times their eyes had locked and neither one could look away; the way he looked at the prom in his tuxedo, so handsome, so sweet; the way his eyes traveled her face and his voice shook when he told her he wanted to tell her something; the pain, anger, and betrayal in his face and eyes just before he turned his back on her and walked out of her life.

Tears fell in earnest as she hugged herself, rocking back and forth on the bed as she let the misery overtake her. 'Why hadn't he come?' her soul begged to know. How could he forget her and move on as if nothing had ever happened? Was it possible that she had simply imagined the attraction between them?

No, she knew at least _that_ was true. She felt that unalienable truth deep within her: Sam Coulson was her soul mate, and he'd felt it, too. And if she couldn't have him, then she would have no one. She would not settle for less.

"So what does that leave you?" her subconscious asked. "Endless lonely nights alone with cold memories and dreams of what might have been?"

Shoving off her shoes and climbing underneath the covers fully clad, she huddled up into a ball, hugging the extra pillow against her chest. "For now…yes," she whispered aloud. Then she buried her face into the pillow, allowing the soft cotton to soak up her tears and muffle her sobs as she cried herself to sleep.

- - -

As Sam finished up the last dregs of his beer, he placed the glass bottle along the side of the sink. He walked through the one bedroom in the cabin and into the bathroom, shivering a little at the chill. He brushed his teeth and washed with the mostly cold water from the tap and then headed back out to the bedroom to change into some sweats and crawl into bed.

But once he had changed and went to pull down the covers on the queen-sized bed, he knew he couldn't sleep in it…not tonight anyway. Not while all those thoughts of Josie Geller were swirling around in his head. It would only serve as a reminder that, if he had only decided to forgive her all those months ago, she could have been in his arms to share that big bed instead of lying in it all alone.

He went over to the long bench seat along the living room wall and lifted up one section, revealing an extensive array of camping supplies beneath. Dragging out the first sleeping bag he found, he flattened it out on the floor a safe distance from the fire. Then he crawled inside, turning his back to the flames, and prayed that tonight at least, he could have a dreamless sleep.

- - -


	2. Chapter 2

Snowbound, Part 2  
By RocknVaughn

- - -

Sam awoke in a cold sweat just after dawn on Thursday morning. Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, it took him a minute to remember where he was…and why. Looking over toward the fireplace, he shivered a little and rubbed his arms. There was little more than a few glowing embers in the hearth now and it had grown chilly…but it was nowhere as chilled in the room as he felt on the inside.

He wished he could say that he didn't dream of Josie the night before, but he'd be lying to himself if he did. She had been there, just as she always seemed to be, on the other side of his eyelids. But this dream seemed to be different from the others. It was closer to a nightmare, actually. Josie was calling out to him…she needed him. But he was lost…he couldn't find her. All around him was a thick white cloud, and he couldn't see. Somehow he could sense that if he didn't find her, something terrible would happen, but it seemed that, for all his desperate searching, he was getting farther and farther away from her. He could feel the panic rising in his throat, while he could hear her voice whispering, echoing all around him, full of despair, _'Why? Why didn't you come?'_

Shivering at the memory, he shimmied out of the sleeping bag and knelt before the fireplace, placing new logs in it and getting the fire restarted. Once the kindling had caught fire, he stood up, brushed ash from his knees and hands, and then ambled into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Placing the coffee grounds inside the percolator basket, he bent down and put a couple of logs in the wood stove and lit them. Carrying the empty coffee pot, he walked over to the sink and poured cold water from the tap into it, set the percolator basket inside it, and then put it on top of the cooking stove.

Trying to keep his mind off of his troubling dream, he pulled out the battery- powered radio, and turned it on to a news station. Settling down at the table, he played with the antenna until the station came in clear. "And now, for weather on the fives…" the announcer said. "Batten down the hatches, because winter has officially arrived…in spades."

Sam sat up straighter and turned up the volume as the voice of the meteorologist took over. "That's right folks, Blizzard '99 is on its way, and it's bearing down fast. Looks as if central Minnesota and Wisconsin will be hardest hit, with the potential for snow measuring in _feet_, not inches. Snow will start falling in earnest in the Green Bay area by nightfall, and will continue at least through Friday. Make sure to take extra precautions and stock up, because with the high winds in some areas, there is a great potential for lots of downed power lines and impassable roads. I need to stress that this is _not_ a false alarm. Snow is _definitely_ on its way, and it looks like Santa is going to be the only one who will be able to get around for a while…"

Sam turned off the radio and poured his coffee into a travel mug. Placing the rest of the percolated pot on the counter near the stove, he reached into the fridge for the milk, pouring it into the mug along with a spoonful of sugar before stirring it and placing the cover on top. Plopping the carton into the fridge, he took inventory of what was in the house for food.

Making a mental list of what he would need, Sam grabbed his coat and hat and headed out to the old Chevy Blazer that his family kept at the cabin for the more rugged travel conditions. It was heavy, and had four wheel drive, which was a boon for his dad and older brother, who liked to ice fish up there during the winter months.

Driving into town to buy the additional things he would need, he took a sip of his coffee before placing the mug in the drink holder in the console. He wasn't that worried about getting snowed in…because the cabin had a generator instead of standard electric power. However, the generator was only used for heat and power in the most basic sense: keeping the water pipes from freezing and for a few electrical lights and appliances. But if he wasn't going to be able to get to the generator to refill it with gas, he was going to have to seriously conserve.

But again, he'd done plenty of camping; he knew how to rough it when necessary. Pulling into the local supermarket, it seemed that he wasn't the only one that had heard the weather report. Even at 8 o'clock in the morning, the parking lot was already packed. Sighing, he climbed out of the Blazer and shut the door. He just hoped he could get the items he needed before the frenzy started in earnest.

- - -

By 8:20 am, Josie had been up for over three hours. After a fitful night of not much sleeping and a lot of crying, she had given up on rest at about 5:15, and instead decided to make use of the time by working on her story. She had worked furiously, throwing herself wholeheartedly into her work, putting together a solid rough draft of her story, leaving room at the end for the additional info she would receive from her appointment that morning. Finally satisfied with her article thus far, she took a moment to connect up to the internet and sent the story and the rest of her notes to her work email account for safekeeping.

Checking her watch, Josie powered down her laptop and packed it in its protective case. She went over to the mirror, double-checking her attire and makeup. At least, Josie thought, she didn't have any _outward_ appearance of being miserable.

Packing up her toiletries, she packed the rest of her items into her overnight bag and put her long, black woolen coat on over her black pantsuit. She put the handles of her purse and the overnight bag over her shoulder and picked up the computer case, and then exited the hotel room, closing the door behind her. Dropping the keys in the drop box, she headed out to her car. She was relatively close to downtown, so she figured it wouldn't take her more than ten minutes to reach the government building where Jen Tierney's HUD office was located.

Parking her car on the street, Josie stood looking up at the twelve-story building, and then marveled at the bustle of people on the street. All of them seemed hurried, rushed…but then it _was_ the height of Christmas shopping season, she mused. Walking up to the main entrance to the building, Josie was more than a little surprised when she found the doors locked. She shielded her eyes and peered in through the glass doors, but the building looked deserted. Confused, she backed up a few paces, pulled out her notepad from her purse and double-checked the address against her notes. Yep, this was definitely the place.

It was then she noticed a small sign posted on the door. Walking up to read it, it said: "Due to inclement weather, all government offices will be closed until Monday, December 27th. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Josie looked up at the sky and then around. The sky was overcast, sure, but there was no precipitation. The roads were clear and dry. Shaking her head in bewilderment, she finally shrugged her shoulders and headed back to her car.

- - -

It was nearly noon before Sam had checked out of both the grocery store and the hardware store, securing the items he would need to ride out the storm. Actually he had more than enough. He could ride out a storm for three weeks with the amount of food he had bought. But he figured he'd be better off with too much than not enough. Loading the cans of kerosene for lanterns in the back of the Blazer, he shut the back with a satisfying thud. Climbing into the front, he was not surprised to hear his cell phone ringing.

Picking it up and pushing the 'talk' button, he said, "Hi, Mom…"

"Gosh, Sam!" Sarah Coulson exclaimed. "I was starting to get really worried about you! I've been calling you all morning and you haven't answered!"

"I was out getting supplies and I left it in the car," he explained.

"Oh. Okay…that's a relief. But…are you sure you don't want to come home now? We're supposed to miss the brunt of the storm here in Racine, while it seems that your area is going to be one of the hardest hit. I'm sure you could make it if you left right now…"

"Mom, I'm not coming home. I told you I wanted to be alone. Alone in a snowstorm is fine, too," Sam said.

"But… It could be _days_ before they can get you out of there, Sam…"

"I don't have to be back to work until after the New Year. I'm sure they'll have me out by then. It's not like I have anywhere I need to go," he reasoned.

"But what if you…?" Sarah began, but Sam interrupted her.

"Mom…I am _not_ changing my mind about this. I'm staying."

Sarah sighed, but said nothing.

"And don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for a while, either," Sam continued. "It's likely I won't be able to call out, even with a cell phone, for a number of days if the lines go down."

"At least let Sheriff Parker know you're in town, so they'll know to look for you."

"Already took care of it, Mom, but thanks for the suggestion." Sam paused for a moment and then said soothingly, "Mom, I'll be okay…I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself."

Sarah thought that, at least emotionally, that was debatable. "I know, honey," she said. "Just be careful, and I'll talk to you when it's all over, okay?"

"All right, Mom," he agreed. "I'll talk to you soon. Love you."

"I love you too, Sam. Be careful!"

"I will. Bye."

"Bye, Sam."

Sam clicked off the talk button and then plugged his phone back into the cigarette lighter to recharge the battery. He figured that he should keep the phone charged to maximum power so that he would have it in case he _did_ need to call someone for an emergency.

Fighting the unusual traffic, he turned east and drove toward Lake Michigan…toward the outskirts of town where the cabin was.

- - -

After grabbing breakfast at a local diner, Josie sat in her car, studying her map. Since she was leaving Green Bay a few hours ahead of schedule, she decided that she wanted to take the "scenic route" home to Chicago. Instead of taking Interstate 43, Josie decided to go east on Route 29 out to the coast, figuring she could pick up the highway again in Sheboygan and only have lost an hour or two of time. She wanted to make it back home before nightfall so she could put the finishing touches on her article and have it ready for Gus first thing in the morning.

Once Josie had reached the end of Route 29, she turned south and followed the local roads, as glimpses of the great Lake Michigan fell in and out of view with the rolling hills. The area was mostly forested, with an occasional house or general store to break the monotony of the trees.

She turned on the radio, flicking the auto search button until she landed on a soft rock music channel. The first song she heard was "If I Could Turn Back Time" by Cher, followed by "How Do I Live?" by LeAnn Rimes. Sighing, she just rolled her eyes. By now, she was used all the songs on the radio reminding her of Sam.

Sam. Josie's eyes watered, and she had to dash the tears away so that she could see the road. She missed him so much. Last night she'd dreamt of being held in his arms, snuggled together comfortably in a big brass bed. The comfort and love that emanated from him, just from his arm innocently around her waist was enough to make her weep now in daylight, far, far away from the fantasy of dreamland.

As Josie drove along, snow started to fall in small, soft flakes.

- - -

Sam looked at his watch as snow started to fall. It was only 12:30, and much too early for the storm to have rolled in. More likely it was just a lake-effect snow squall. No matter, he thought. He was only a few minutes from the cabin now, so it could snow as much as it wanted.

- - -

Five minutes later, Sam was wishing he'd never thought the snow squall didn't matter. It had quickly picked up in intensity and he was now driving at a snail's pace in practically whiteout conditions. He couldn't see more than 50 feet in front of him. But being from Wisconsin, and having grown up dealing with snow, he knew that if there was no shoulder to pull over onto (and on this two lane road, there wasn't), he needed to keep moving in order to prevent other cars behind him from hitting him because they wouldn't see him stopped.

Hunching over the wheel, Sam concentrated heavily on the road and the surroundings. He was lucky that he was familiar with the area…otherwise he didn't know how he'd manage to keep the Blazer on the road.

- - -

The windshield wipers on Josie's Buick steadily swished back and forth as the snow began to fall more heavily. She tried to keep herself loose and unworried, knowing that in another hour or so, she'd be back to the highway. The deejay said, over the end of another love song, "At the top of the hour, we'll highlight the weather conditions, but first, a special request song…"

Josie perked up, hearing that they were about to discuss the weather, but then her heart constricted painfully when she heard the request song start to play:

"_Good times, for a change…  
To see the luck I've had could make a good man turn bad…"_

With a sob, Josie reached out and violently turned the knob to the radio, shutting the music off…but she could not turn off the thoughts the song evoked: Sam, so handsome, dressed in his tuxedo at the Senior Prom, Sam crowning her Prom Queen, Sam asking her to dance, Sam dancing close to her, holding her as they danced to that song…while Morrissey's voice crooned "Please, please, please, let me, let me, let me, let me get what I want this time…"

Tears coursed down her face as she tried to hold back the rest of the images, but they wouldn't be denied: Sam's soft vulnerability as he told her he had something he had to tell her… Sam's shocked look as she revealed her true identity, the waves of betrayal that emanated from him after he'd overheard George ask if she had the story on him, the pain, and anger, and mistrust when he turned and left her standing in the country club garden…and left her standing on the ball field.

Josie could barely see the road for her tears. Angrily, she brushed them away with her hand, only to have her vision appear to get worse. It took her a minute to realize that it was the blowing, swirling snow that hampered her view, not her tears. She had suddenly driven into a tempest, or so it seemed.

Trying to swallow her panic, she spoke to herself out loud, "Okay, Josie, you can do this…you've driven through this before…just keep moving…" She slowed down, and struggled to see more than a half a car-length ahead of her. She kept looking for someplace to pull over and wait out the worst of the blowing snow, but this road did not appear to have a breakdown lane. It was just one line of traffic in either direction with ground that sloped down into the woods from the road's edge.

"Damn it…why didn't I just let the damn song play so I could have heard the weather?" she cursed herself aloud. She shied away from the edge of the road, afraid that she would be too close to it and drive right off the road. Ahead of her, there was only white…she could see nothing.

Josie's eyes were glued to the near edge of the road, so it wasn't until the very last minute that she saw the headlights of an oncoming vehicle clear in her path. Confused into thinking that maybe the vehicle was in _her_ lane, she swerved to the left, thinking to go around it on its side of the road. It wasn't until her car started to lose control and slide off the far side of the street that she realized it had been _she_ who had crossed the middle line. Trying valiantly to steer away from the edge, she only managed to turn her car 180 degrees before sliding off the road and down the embankment.

- - -

From the barely visible landmarks that Sam was able to pick out, he was very close to the turnoff for the cabin. Away from the open road, he reasoned, the blowing and drifting of the snow should not be as bad, because he knew that roads such as the one he was on acted like a wind tunnel when the snow started to fly, making a regular snowfall appear much worse. Watching the near side of the road for his turnoff, he didn't notice until the last moment that a car was mostly in his lane, and almost right in front of him.

Before he even had a chance to react, he watched in horror as the car in front of him swerved violently to his right and then the back wheels lost traction and spun the car around 180 degrees…then it slid down the embankment and out of his view.

Moments later, he heard the ghastly sound of glass breaking and metal crunching over the howl of the wind.

- - -

Josie felt the car as it slipped off the side of the road, tilting at a funny angle as it slid down the snow-covered hill like a toboggan. She could see the line of trees fast approaching and she prayed for a miracle as her life flashed before her eyes…

And then she felt the sudden jolt and crunch of the car's sudden stop as the front right of her car smashed into a tree. The seat belt tightened across her and the rough power of the airbag shoved her back and away from the windshield. But because she was so petite, the force from the sudden expansion of the airbag pushed her head back away from the direction of the crash harder than normal, and the left side of her head connected with the window on the driver's side door. The impact knocked Josie unconscious.

- - -

Heedless of the danger he was putting himself in, he pulled the Blazer as close to the side of the road as he could, turned on the hazard lights and jumped out, racing to the edge to look down into the gully. A huge slash of snow had been swept away by the car as it had skated down the slope. The gray Buick sedan now rested at the bottom of the hill, where its front end had collided hard with a huge oak tree.

Sam waded through the knee-deep snow down the hill, desperate to get to the car to see if anyone was seriously hurt inside. He knew that this strip of road was rarely traveled and it could be minutes or hours before anyone else came along. It was up to him to help whoever was inside that car. Reaching the driver's side of the Buick, he tried to swipe away the collecting snow and mud on the window and look inside, but the windows were too steamed up to see in. He knocked against the window hard, hoping to hear someone call out, but no one did.

Frantically, he reached for the door handle, forcing the door open on hinges that no longer worked the way they should. Inside, he could see a huge mound of material, presumably the deflated airbag, and a woman. A lone woman with her head turned away from him, and she seemed to be unconscious. Fearing the worst, he put a finger to her throat, and was relieved to feel a pulse beating strongly. The woman moaned a little in protest against his cold fingers and the blast of the snow blowing at her.

Hearing her moan, Sam leaned in, trying to shield the woman as much as he could from the wind howling around them. Placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, he said, "Hey, are you okay?"

Sam watched as the woman groggily shook her head as if to clear it, and then drift back into unconsciousness. But as she did, she turned her head so that she was now facing him.

Sam felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. His head spun and he had to grasp the top of the open door to keep from falling over. 'No! It couldn't be! It can't be!' his mind rebelled.

But it was. There was no mistaking that the unconscious woman in the car was Josie Geller.


	3. Chapter 3

Snowbound, Part 3  
By RocknVaughn 

Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews! I have had this story in the back of my mind for a long time and have finally decided to complete it. (Heidiree...is that you: ) )

- - -

For a long moment, Sam was overwhelmed by shock. He couldn't feel anything: not the wind howling around him, not the wet snow pelting his back, nor even his own beating heart. It was if he'd suddenly fallen into a black hole, and the only thing he could see, the only thing he could concentrate on, was Josie Geller's face.

But then, just as quickly, his senses returned in a rush so that he felt that there were too many thoughts flooding his head. How? Why? And why here? Now?

Putting a finger to her throat again to reassure himself that she was indeed breathing and her heart was beating, Sam let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. A surge of…relief…flooded him, but it was soon buried by a tidal wave of anger. In fact, he was suddenly furious with Josie…for her deception months before, for the pain and frustration it had caused, and, most of all, for the love that she'd made him feel for her; the love he _still_ felt for her. And damn her for being here to remind him of his utter failure to forget her!

Shaking his head clear, he realized that now was not the time to dredge up and examine all the emotions and feelings caused by seeing her again. He would have to deal with the backlash of that later. Right now, Josie was hurt and needed help, and he was the only person around to give it.

Leaning back into the car, Sam slowly felt his way down her arms, her hips, her legs, her ankles, checking for any sign of broken bones. Finding none, he reached across Josie's lap and unbuckled her seat belt. Untangling her from it, he carefully slid one arm underneath her knees and the other behind her neck to lift her out of the car. She obviously had some injury, since she was unconscious, and the sooner he could get her to the warmth of his Blazer and call for help, the better off she would be.

Cradling Josie's limp body in his arms, Sam turned and struggled against the wind and snow to climb his way up the embankment, taking care to stay in the swath that her car had carved out of the snow on the hill.

Reaching the road at last, Sam lifted Josie higher into his arms so that he could reach up and open the passenger side door. Awkwardly, he tried to turn her in his arms and place her inside the vehicle. When he finally was able to lay her body along the bench of the seat, he ran around the front side of the Blazer, opened his door and climbed in, quickly shutting it behind him. He shook his head to clear the layer of snow that had built up from being outside, and then slicked his wet hair back with his fingers nervously. Sam then sat Josie's body in an upright position, leaning it against the corner of the seat and the passenger door. From the floor of the back seat, he retrieved a woolen blanket, which he covered her with, and then he reached for his telephone, dialing 911.

Looking up through the windshield, Sam realized that the squall was starting to die down. Already he could see at least twice as far down the road, and the wind did not sound as if it were howling quite as fiercely. Then his thoughts were interrupted by the gruff voice on the end of the telephone line, "Oswego Police, Sheriff Parker speaking."

"Will, this is Sam Coulson again," Sam answered. Will Parker was a childhood playmate of Sam's from when he had visited in the summers. They'd kept in touch on and off ever since.

"Sam! Long time no talk…but this is the emergency line; is something wrong?"

"Unfortunately so, Will. I'm out here on Lake Drive, about…" Sam paused as he tried to gauge his exact location, "…a third of a mile from the turnoff to my family's cabin. There's been an accident."

Will knew the stretch of road Sam spoke of, and knew it wasn't exactly the most friendly to travelers during snowy weather. "Is anyone hurt? Were you involved?"

Sam replied, "No, I wasn't really involved. A car from the other side of the road spun out in front of me and ended up sliding off my side of the road down the embankment, hitting a tree. There was just one person inside the car. She's unconscious, but other than that, there are no apparent injuries, no broken bones. Her car had an airbag and she was wearing a seatbelt."

Will blew out a grateful breath. "Whew! Well, I'm glad to hear that. She'll probably be sore tomorrow, but those things might well have saved her life. Where is she now?"

"Right here next to me in the Blazer. I thought I should keep her warm, plus there's no telling if her car is even safe to be around right now," Sam answered.

"Okay," Will Parker replied. "I'll call for a tow and an ambulance to meet me at the scene. I should be there in ten, or maybe even five; the squall seems to be letting up."

"Thanks, Will."

Sam hung up the phone as he heard the click of Will hanging up as well. Placing the cell phone back into the charger, he turned back towards his charge: Josie Geller, in the flesh and in his car.

- - -

Josie felt as if she was surfacing from a deep, black lake. As she got closer and closer to the surface, light started to shimmer around her, as well as the echoing sound of a voice above her. Trying to concentrate on the sound, her head throbbed from the effort.

Again, the voice echoed, as if from far away, "Josie… Josie, wake up…" It sounded like…Sam! Assuming it was yet another dream, she started to slip deeper back down into the comforting blackness. But then, there was a hand that slid into her hair, and, incredibly, she could smell Sam Coulson's aftershave all around her. The fingers that were buried in her hair were moving, searching for something…and then suddenly there was an explosion of pain that lurched her upright and pulled a strangled moan from her lips.

- - -

Sam sat and stared at Josie's pale face for several long moments before deciding that maybe he should try to determine if she had hit her head during the crash. After all, that would be the most likely reason why she was unconscious. Sliding closer to her on the seat, he called to her softly, hoping for a response. When he didn't get one, he slowly pushed his right hand into the silkiness of her hair. Sam sucked in a breath and had to stop momentarily. It wasn't fair that her hair was even _more_ silky and soft than he had dreamed!

Forcing his wayward thoughts aside and getting back on track with his task, Sam slid his fingers forward and back methodically, looking for some sign of injury. Then suddenly as he discovered a lump on the top left side of her head, she whimpered pitifully and jolted forward. Surprised, Sam slid his left arm around her back to steady her and stop her from possibly falling back and injuring herself further.

- - -

"Whoa, whoa," the voice soothed. "It's okay, Josie. C'mon, wake up… You can do it…" And again, the voice sounded like Sam. And now his arms were around her, holding her close to him. This was starting to feel too real to be just a dream; if she were going to dream about Sam, it wouldn't be with this pounding pain in her skull, she tried to reason.

Finally, Josie cracked one eye open, trying to adjust to the sudden explosion of light that caused her head to hurt even more. Then as she opened the other, she forced herself to try to focus on the face in front of her. Her eyes met greenish hazel ones, concerned, yet swarming with a full range of emotions underneath the surface…Sam's eyes. And then suddenly it was as if all her senses were working overtime: she felt the warmth of his arms surrounding her, could smell the wonderful aftershave that he always wore, and with widened eyes she took in every nuance of Sam's face.

The reality of Sam Coulson's actual presence frightened and confused Josie. Pulling herself free from his protective grasp, she pressed herself back against the passenger door and asked, "S…Sam? Wh…what happened? What are you doing here?" Wild-eyed with panic, she looked around. When she realized she was no longer in her car, she asked, "Where am I?"

Sam sighed and pushed away the fleeting but painful feeling of rejection and tried to reason that Josie had every right to be confused and scared at that moment. Placing a soothing hand on either shoulder, he prompted, "Josie, you were in an accident…Do you remember?"

Josie closed her eyes and remembered the white blur, the sickening fear when she saw the headlights of that car and then lost control of hers. She remembered sliding down the side of the hill, that huge tree looming up before her…

Opening her eyes abruptly to stop the vision, she said simply, "Yes, I remember. But what are _you_ doing _here_? This is pretty darn far away from Chicago..."

Sam shrugged a shoulder before answering, "I'm _from_ Wisconsin originally, and my family owns a cabin not far from here. I was on my way there when I saw your car careen into the ditch. I was in the car you almost hit. But I could ask you the same question: What are _you_ doing driving through Oswego? It's not exactly on the beaten path."

Sam's tone was almost accusatory, and it tore at Josie's heart. Softly she explained, "I was in Green Bay working on a story for the paper." Sam flinched at her use of the word 'story', but Josie didn't notice. "I finished up earlier than expected, so I thought I would take the scenic route home."

Sam was about to ask her what kind of insane person would take the 'scenic route home' with a blizzard on the way but was interrupted by a series of hard raps on the driver's side window. Looking up, Sam saw Will Parker standing there, motioning toward the squad car and the tow truck that was just arriving. With a wave and nod, Sam turned back to Josie and said, "I'll be right back, okay?"

Mute, Josie nodded and then watched as Sam opened the driver's side door and climbed out, shutting the door behind him. Relieved at the chance to collect her thoughts, Josie laid her head back on the headrest and then winced when she made contact with the bump on her head.

All of this was too bizarre to be believed…She hadn't seen Sam Coulson in what? Six? Seven months? And then suddenly he appears out of nowhere in the middle of rural Wisconsin hundreds of miles from home? And to pull her out of her wrecked car no less?

Closing her eyes, Josie could again see Sam's eyes as she first awoke. Other than the concern for human life that seemed forefront on his mind, Sam's eyes spoke volumes about pain, suffering, and anger. If he still carried around that much emotional baggage about her, even after all these months, it was no wonder he had never shown up at the ball field, she thought. She wondered briefly whether he had gone through the same hell that she had that first week after her disguise had been revealed, and then realized she would probably never know.

Lifting her head and really looking around at her surroundings for the first time, it seemed that the snowstorm has almost entirely dissipated. Now there was only a light snowfall…hard to believe that this idyllic picture had been a whiteout blizzard just minutes before. Without even realizing it, her eyes followed Sam as he walked toward the squad car with the police officer. He still had that same innate grace when he moved; and it still had the power to mesmerize her.

Catching herself staring, she laid her head back against the headrest more carefully and closed her eyes. Her heart constricted painfully at the realization that Sam was no closer to forgiving her than he had been that warm night in May. The only man she had ever loved…and it was clear that even now, he would never be willing to love her back. Despite her resolve not to cry in front of him, silent tears of despair slipped from the corners of her eyes and trailed down her face.

- - -

Sam followed Will back toward the squad car several yards away from the Blazer. Leaning against the driver's side door, Will asked, "So how is she doing? Is she conscious now?"

"Yeah, she woke up just a few moments ago," Sam said flatly.

Will frowned at Sam's tone. "But…? What's wrong?"

Sam shook his head as if clearing it. "Nothing's wrong. Other than a pretty good bump on the back of her head, she seems fine. At least, she didn't complain of any other ailments."

Will nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now, why don't you show me where that car is so that Horace can get down there and start winching it back onto the road? I already called Rusty in for backup so he can direct what little traffic may come along." Patting Sam's back, he put a hand out before him in a silent request for Sam to lead the way.

Sam walked back to just about ten feet in front of the Blazer and then pointed down toward the gray Buick with the crushed front end. "There it is. As I said, she had crossed the middle line during the whiteout and then it seems when she saw my headlights, she tried to overcorrect and the back wheels just lost traction."

Will looked down at the wrecked car for a moment and then waved for Horace in the tow truck to come over. As Horace started to move the truck closer, Will took a minute to look over his shoulder into Sam's Blazer. The pretty young woman was staring back at them, but quickly turned her head when she noticed that Will was looking at her.

Turning back to Sam, he asked, "Do you think her head is okay? Did she tell you who she was or where she's fr...?"

"Her name's Josie Geller and she's from Chicago," Sam answered without even letting Will finish his sentence.

Startled, Will looked at Sam, but Sam was just staring blankly at the car down in the ditch as if morbidly fascinated with it. Will studied Sam for a long moment and then said softly, more a statement than a question, "You know her."

Without looking up or otherwise acknowledging Will's presence, Sam said, "Yeah, I do."

Sam's uncharacteristic reticence, as well as the myriad of emotions crossing his face, told Will this woman was not just an acquaintance. Sam definitely had a 'history' with her, and apparently whatever it was between them had gone unresolved.

Deciding not to push the issue further at the time being, Will said, "Well, I probably should go talk to her. I need to get a statement from her for the report. Will you excuse me?"

Sam, still staring down at the car, watching as Horace tracked his way down the hill to attach the winch to the rear axle, simply nodded.

Crossing over to the driver's side of Sam's Blazer, Will opened the door and climbed inside. Josie turned to look at him as he entered and then smiled in a tentative greeting, and he smiled back. "Hello," Will said. "How are you feeling? How is your head?"

"I…It…Well, it hurts," she answered honestly, "but other than a headache, I don't seem to be the worse for wear."

"Is your vision blurred at all? Seeing double?"

'Other than my tears blurring my vision, you mean?' she thought, but she answered. "No, I can see fine, thanks."

"Sam told me your name is Josie and you're from Chicago?" Will pressed gently.

Josie nodded, glancing out the windshield at a motionless Sam, who was staring down the embankment, apparently watching the effort to recover her car. She paused to swallow the lump of emotion in her throat before she continued, "Yes. My name is Josie Geller. I work for the Chicago Sun-Times. I was on my way back from Green Bay, where I was working on a story."

A bell of recognition went off in Will's head when she mentioned both her name and the newspaper for which she worked…almost as if he'd heard it somewhere before. Glancing briefly at Sam, he knew he hadn't heard it from him, but yet, she obviously had something to do with him. He could see it in this woman's eyes, and the way her eyes kept straying back to Sam. He wondered again about the connection between her and Sam, but didn't dare ask. Instead he asked, "Can you tell me what happened? Do you remember the events leading up to the accident?"

Josie closed her eyes, letting the picture form in her mind. "Well, I was driving south on this road when suddenly it seemed that the wind and snow came up suddenly, it was like driving into a cloud. I could barely see past the end of the car. I knew there was no place to pull over, so I tried to keep moving. Then suddenly I saw headlights coming at me, not more than a car length or two in front of me. At first I thought that it had crossed into my lane, so I swerved toward that side of the road, thinking to go around it. But then I realized it had been me and I tried to recover, but I must have turned the wheel too sharply, because the back end of the car slid out and then I was sliding down the embankment toward that tree…" Josie shuddered at the memory.

Will placed a sympathetic hand on hers and said, "That's okay, I understand. You don't have to go on. But when you awoke you were here? You don't remember anything else?"

"No. I woke up and I was here…In Sam's…car," Josie finished awkwardly.

Will nodded and then looked up when he noticed the ambulance had arrived. He said, gesturing toward the ambulance, "Well, why don't we have them look you over and make sure you're okay, all right?"

Josie nodded. "All right." She started to open the passenger door, but Will put a staying hand on her arm.

"Hold on, I want to come around and help you out of there."

Nodding, Josie pulled the door closed again and waited.

- - -

Sam stood watching as they slowly pulled Josie's car up from the bottom of the embankment. His eyes were on the car, but his mind was elsewhere. He still didn't understand why this was happening to him now…now when he was finally starting to get a handle on his emotions for Josie? Hell, this whole _trip_ had been about him putting her out of his mind for good.

He had to laugh at that. Yeah, like he would have been able to just put her out of his mind, he thought sarcastically. The flood of emotions that even now threatened to engulf him was proof enough of the impossibility of that task. Josie Geller was branded onto his soul; he knew that now. And he didn't have any idea how to change that. Anger rose to the top of his emotions again. Why? Why did she have to be _here_? Why did _he_ have to be the one to find her? Why couldn't Fate have left it well enough alone?

He knew that Will had climbed into the Blazer to talk to Josie. He refused to look, because inside he knew it would bother him and he didn't want to have to admit that to himself as well. So instead, he ignored it. He didn't want to admit to even himself how deep his feelings for Josie still ran. It was as if he'd simply put them on hold instead of actually having gotten over them.

Sam heard the Blazer's door slam and looked over in the direction. But instead of walking toward him, Will crossed over to the passenger side to let Josie out, placing a polite hand on either side of her waist to let her down slowly without any jarring. Sam's jaw tightened and his eyes glittered with barely quashed jealousy as Will helped Josie over to the ambulance that Sam had only just now noticed. Then the second police officer, Rusty, along with the EMT all helped Josie up into the back of the ambulance so they could run some tests.

Damn it, but Sam was jealous of every man who laid a hand on Josie. He gritted his teeth against the feeling, but it wouldn't go away. Looking down, he kicked at a piece of icy snow on the side of the road and then sighed. _Well, I might as well go over and find out how she is,_ he tried to reason as his feet started wandering toward the open back of the ambulance.

- - -

Josie sat patiently while the EMT checked her pupils, her blood pressure, her limbs for anything broken or bruised and finally the bump on her head, which he gave her a cold pack to press against it.

As she turned back to look toward the outside, she noticed Sam was approaching…and he had an inscrutable look on his face. What was he thinking? What did he want?

Sam came to stand at the foot of the ambulance, watching, but not saying a word. He wasn't sure if he could. Part of him was afraid that something could be wrong with her, and part of him was angry that he even cared.

Will noticed Sam's presence and informed him, "Just a bump on the head, Sam, possibly a concussion, nothing more. She's quite lucky, actually."

Sam nodded and looked up to make eye contact with Josie once more. Unnerved by his stare, Josie looked up and beyond him to notice that her car was finally at street level, and from the angle it sat, it didn't look too bad. Maybe she could just end up getting in her car and getting out of here and just try to pretend any of this had ever happened.

"Um…" she began, sliding off the stretcher to a stand, and handing the EMT his cold compress back. "I think my car is ready. Maybe I can be on my way now."

"Whoa," the EMT said, frowning. "We're not even sure yet if you have a concussion; I'm not sure I feel that comfortable letting you drive."

Will concurred. "Yes, Josie. Just because you feel okay right now doesn't mean that bump can't cause problems for you later. Besides, I'm not all that sure your car will be drivable."

Still, Josie pushed herself forward, stepping down the step and then hopping to the ground, landing next to Sam. She wobbled for a moment, and without even thinking, Sam put out his hand to steady her. Pulling back from him as if his hand burned her, she stuttered, "I'm sure everything will be just fine as long as I…" She trailed off as Horace walked toward the group, his face grim.

Having overheard the last bit of the conversation, he said, "I'm sorry, Miss, but I'm afraid your car won't be going anywhere…not for a while at least. Front axle cracked from the impact with that tree."

Josie felt tears of frustration welling up in her eyes, and she brushed them away angrily. All she wanted was to get away from here…and mostly Sam…as soon as possible, and it seemed that everything was working against her.

"But surely that's easy to fix, right?" she asked, hopefully.

"No, ma'am. That'll require quite a bit of work, I'm afraid. I'm not sure if I even have the right part in stock, so I'd have to order it from Green Bay. And with the storm coming, I don't think I could get it fixed much before Wednesday next week."

Dragging in a deep breath, she tried to keep from crying in earnest. Then all of his statement registered and she asked, confused, "What storm?"

All the men surrounding her looked at Josie in disbelief, including Sam. Finally it was Will who spoke. "What storm? Ms. Geller, there is a blizzard on the way…one of possibly monstrous proportions. You _can't_ mean you didn't know?"

Shocked, she looked up at Sam's face for confirmation and found it there. Turning to look at the Sheriff, tears spilling over her lower lashes in silent anguish. Finally, she choked out, "No, I didn't know."

Irrationally angry at Josie for being so careless, Sam began, "How could you…?" but a look from Will silenced him.

Josie straightened her shoulders defiantly. She'd be damned if Sam Coulson was going to ridicule her! Ignoring him and talking directly to Will, she said, "Well, then I guess I'll have to make the best of it. Maybe you can drop me off at the nearest motel."

Will looked at Rusty and Horace and then shuffled his feet. "Well, ma'am, I _could_ do that, but it's at least twenty miles from here..."

An uneasy silence fell with that revelation.

As Sam looked at Josie's demoralized expression, something resurfaced in his mind…his dream from last night: Josie calling out to him for help, and he couldn't find her because of a thick white cloud surrounding them…the blizzard perhaps? And the same panicked feeling he'd had in that dream bubbled up inside him.

It was as if his memory of the dream was forcing the air from his lungs and he couldn't breathe, as if there was a large brick sitting on his chest, making him really fear that dream…and that something might actually happen to Josie to make that dream become a reality. After all, it seemed too damn coincidental that he would have that dream and then she suddenly appeared. Sam didn't think he would be able to live with himself if he didn't at least _try_ to prevent that dream from happening, even if, for now, it was just that... a dream.

What if it _had_ it been a sign of some sort? That if he didn't watch over her something terrible would happen? Something that would make him lose her forever? His heart constricted at the thought of anything more happening to Josie. No matter how angry, furious, frustrated, hurt he was at her, a part of him could not let her go…not now, not like this…not with that big white cloud of a storm coming.

A huge sense of foreboding washed over him…as if his next words would be of monumental importance in his life.

Although the angry part of him was screaming that he was insane, telling him not to do it, he couldn't stop his mouth from saying, barely above a whisper, "She could stay with me..."

Both Will and Josie turned to Sam, incredulous. "Wh…what did you say?" Josie choked out with shock.

It was too late to take the offer back, and Sam knew it. Clearing his throat, he looked directly at Josie and with a challenging, defiant tone repeated, "You could stay with me."

Josie was shaking her head even before she said, "No…no…I…_couldn't_..."

Sighing his impatience, Sam got right to the point. "You and I both know there's no other logical solution. You don't have anywhere else to go."

Will thought to himself that he would have been willing to take her home and have he and his wife Meredith put her up through the storm, but decided instead to see how this scene would play itself out and stayed quiet.

Sam continued, "And when the car is ready, I'll drive you into town and you can be on your way." He wished he felt as reasonable and cool as he sounded.

So there it was. Sam was being polite, but in reality, he couldn't wait to see her gone. Tears pricked Josie's eyes again, but she refused to let them fall and blinked them back. She wasn't going to give Sam the satisfaction of seeing her hurt more than he already had.

Turning on her heel, Josie walked over to her mangled car, shoved open the creaking driver's side door and yanked her keys from the ignition. She grabbed her purse from the floor of the car and started shoving all her belongings back into it, sighing when she saw the smashed cellular phone in pieces.

Climbing back out, she walked to the back of the sedan and unlocked the trunk, grabbing her overnight bag and the padded laptop case. Slamming the trunk, she walked back over to the group of men with her head held high. She held out the key ring to Horace, who relieved her of it. Finally, she turned back to face Sam.

He was right; she _didn't_ have anywhere else to go, and they both knew it. There really wasn't a question of whether she would accept his offer…she had to. She knew that no matter his feelings for her, he would be a gentleman. 'Nothing to worry about there,' she snickered to herself. 'I'll be lucky if he says three words to me the entire time!' And if he could be so cold and calculating about it, then darn it, so could she. With a monotonic voice, she said, "Fine. If we're going, let's go." Nodding in farewell to the other men, she turned and started walking toward the Blazer.

Almost in a daze, Sam shook hands with Will and said goodbye to the others. Will extracted a promise from Sam that he would call if Josie showed any signs of worsening. Then Sam turned and started to follow Josie back to his car.

Suddenly he stopped short, watching Josie's body swaying with a womanly gait as she carried her load toward his vehicle. Panicked, the only thought to cross his mind was, _Oh my God…what have I done?_

- - -


	4. Chapter 4

Snowbound, Part 4  
By RocknVaughn

- - -

Even though it was bitterly cold, Sam felt his palms start to sweat. Without even realizing it, he stared off in Josie's direction as his thoughts took over. He wasn't quite sure now how it had happened, but the safe haven he'd created for himself had, in the blink of an eye, become his prison. Instead of days of quiet solitude that he'd planned to use to purge all traces of Josie Geller from his heart, now he'd be spending every waking moment in the foreseeable future trapped in a tiny three-room cabin with her.

_So much for working her out of my system_, he thought. Somehow Sam knew that after these next few days, there would be no way he could ever forget her.

As Josie reached the passenger side of the Blazer, she suddenly felt Sam's eyes burning a hole into her back. Turning, Josie noticed that instead of looking _at_ her, he seemed to be looking right through her. He appeared trapped in his thoughts, and by the look on his face; they weren't happy ones. In fact, he looked like a man who had just been given a death sentence.

Hurt and annoyed by his obvious revulsion to their predicament, Josie glared at Sam and hissed, "Sam!"

Sam didn't respond.

"Sam!" she snapped again, a little louder this time.

The urgent irritation bubbling in Josie's voice broke through Sam's reverie. Shaking his head as though waking from a dream, his eyes connected with hers, a bit dazed. "Huh?"

Josie glanced behind Sam and noticed the sheriff watching their exchange with barely concealed interest. Embarrassed at the scene they were making, she said waspishly, a blush reddening her cheeks, "Are you coming?"

The moment seemed almost surreal to Sam, but he recovered enough to silently nod his head and spur his legs into action.

Satisfied, Josie nodded once in response and then opened the passenger side door, pushing her belongings along the bench seat and climbing in. Turning, she struggled to pull the creaky door shut. Once inside, Josie knelt on the seat and placed her computer bag and overnight suitcase on the floor behind her seat.

As Sam approached the car, he looked up through the windshield. His mouth dropped open a little and he just stared at the enticing view of Josie's behind swaying as she leaned her petite body over the back of the bench seat. Clapping his mouth shut abruptly, Sam closed his eyes, scolding himself mentally, _Get a grip, Sam! Just…stay angry with her and you'll be fine._

Sam didn't even want to consider what might happen to both his heart and his psyche if he wasn't successful at keeping that mental barrier between himself and Josie in place.

Josie was just settling back down into a sitting position when Sam yanked open his door, using more force than was necessary, making Josie look up at him in surprise. Sam barely acknowledged her presence before turning the key, which was still in the ignition. He gunned the engine with impatient aggression, earning him another questioning look from Josie. She made a show of retightening her seatbelt and clutching her purse closer to her chest, but she didn't say a word.

Hell, with the scowl that Sam knew must be on his face, she probably didn't dare, and that was all right with him. The less they said to each other, the better off they would be, in his opinion.

Putting the Blazer into gear, Sam maneuvered slowly around all the vehicles blocking the road, waving a hand in farewell to Will Parker as they passed.

Will raised a hand in return and started down the street, watching the Blazer growing smaller and smaller as the seconds ticked by. There was something about Josie Geller that made him wonder. Even though she was from Chicago, and apparently had never been in Oswego before in her life, he had the feeling he'd seen her someplace before. And he knew that he _hadn't_ heard about her from Sam…

Sam. From his strange reaction to the situation as a whole, Will knew there was unfinished business between Sam and Josie and wondered what it might be. He'd never seen Sam so agitated; usually Sam was incredibly laid back and friendly…but not with this woman. With Josie, he'd been uptight…even borderline hostile at times. But yet, he'd come over to the ambulance to see if she was all right and then made the mind-boggling offer to put her up at his cabin through the storm. Will smiled at that memory, because it seemed that Sam was as surprised that he'd made the offer as he and Josie had been at hearing it.

Will was not the type that normally meddled into others' affairs without cause, but he had to admit, his curiosity was piqued. Heading back toward the squad car, Will climbed in and fastened his seat belt. While it seemed that the report on this accident could be considered a formality in this case, he knew that he had the means of finding out a bit more about the puzzling Josie. And in this situation, he figured he could use every detail he could get. The relationship between Sam and Josie was certainly a mystery, but then solving mysteries was what he liked to do best; the minute he got back to the office, he would start working on finding out the answer.

- - -

The silence in the car was deafening.

Josie sat stiffly in her seat, nervously clutching her purse to her chest so hard that her fingertips were white. The back of her head was still sore and her temples throbbed in pain. She stared out the passenger side window at the endless row of pine trees, their branches all weighed down with snow. Under other circumstances, Josie would have thought it beautiful; like a living Christmas card, but at the moment she was way too tense to notice.

Glancing over at Sam, she could tell by his clenched jaw and unwavering attention on the road that he was still upset.

Trying to break the ice a little, Josie cleared her throat, earning her an icy glare from Sam for her trouble.

So she waited. But finally, Josie couldn't take the pressure building up in the thick quiet between them. She gathered up enough courage to begin, "Sam, I…"

But Sam cut her off before she could get two words into what she was about to say. "_Don't_," he said scathingly, while waves of hatred emanated from him.

Josie nearly jumped from his brutal tone, and turned to study his profile. Sam's eyes glittered dangerously, and his jaw was set in a stubborn line. Still, she dared ask, "Don't what?"

"Don't bother apologizing," Sam spat, not even bothering to spare a glance at Josie. "The time for that is _way_ past, and truthfully, I'm not interested in what you have to say anymore, so don't waste your breath."

Sam's rough words cut Josie deeply and she found herself blinking back tears. After all, this was the man she loved, and it was quite clear he couldn't bear even the sight of her in return. She took a few deep breaths in order to keep from sobbing…but then Josie's eyes began to narrow in anger from his abrupt attack.

Frankly, she was getting sick of Sam's treatment of her. While it might be true that she had hurt him in the past, she had certainly done nothing today to deserve this kind of reaction. And Josie was not the hesitant mouse that she used to be. Dealing with the long, lonely months after Sam had walked out of her life had forced her to become strong; to be her own advocate, since it was clear she would never have someone to do it for her. Even though she still missed Sam terribly, she was strong: stronger than she'd ever imagined being, and she wanted him to know it.

Refusing to show Sam even an inkling that he may have hurt her, she sat up ramrod straight in the seat, lifting her head proudly. Then she turned to him, her voice dripping with disdain, and replied coolly, "For your information, that was _not_ what I was going to say. Now, if you'll kindly refrain from being an ignorant ass for a moment, I'll tell you what I _was_ going to say…"

Sam turned to look at Josie briefly, waiting…and even a bit surprised at her composed and dignified response. This was not the reaction he'd been expecting.

With a big sigh, Josie said, "I was simply going to say thank you…"

"For what?" Sam asked, surprised.

"For taking me in…for putting me up when it's clearly obvious that you can't stand the idea of even being in the same _state_ with me, let alone stuck in a cabin through a snowstorm together…" Josie explained, pain and scorn coloring her voice, even through her bravado.

Sam felt instantly abashed. Josie had swallowed her pride in thanking him, even after he'd just verbally attacked her. He could at least do the same.

"Josie…uh…Look, I'm sorry about jumping all over you like that. It's just that…well, this isn't exactly the ideal situation…for either of us," Sam began, glancing at her before turning back to the road. "We're going to have to make the best of things for the next few days…and it would be much easier, in my opinion, if we could leave the past in the past and just deal with now."

Josie considered Sam's request for a long moment. As much as she really wanted to know the reasons for Sam's behavior so many months ago, Josie realized that Sam's suggestion probably made more sense in their current circumstances. If they were going to be stuck with each other for a while, they might as well make things as pleasant as possible.

Finally, she looked up and connected with Sam's eyes and nodded. "Okay…if you think it's best, we…we can just pretend the past doesn't exist."

Relieved, Sam agreed. "Yeah, I think that's best."

The rest of the ride back to the cabin was quiet, both of them retreating into their own thoughts.

- - -

Will Parker sighed as he pulled his squad car into its parking space in front of Oswego's combination Sheriff/Fire Department building. It was shaping up to be a long day and night for him…maybe even a long week. Even though he got off duty at four, as Sheriff, he would still have to be involved in all major decisions during the blizzard. That could make for some very long nights.

Once more, his friend Sam came to mind…that and the bizarre interaction between him and Josie Geller. Again as he thought her, he felt somehow as if he should know that name.

Reaching across the seat, he grabbed his clipboard with the paperwork from the accident on it and popped open his door. Slamming it shut behind him, he strode up the front steps and entered the brick building.

"Hey, Cap…how'd it go with that accident? Anyone hurt?" asked Mary, the station's dispatcher.

"Everyone's pretty much fine, Mar, thanks. The woman bumped her head pretty good, but other than that, she was damn lucky."

Mary nodded her encouragement, hinting with her twinkling brown eyes that she'd like more details.

But Will wasn't in the mood to oblige her. "Sorry, Mar…no gossip today. I want to get this paperwork done so I can get home to Meredith and the kids before the storm hits."

Mary stared after Will, who was deep in thought as he headed down the hallway toward his office. She was good at picking up on undertones and right now, her antennae were beeping full force. Will preoccupied by something, that was for sure…she just wished she knew what it was.

- - -

As the Blazer crested the last rise in the road, Josie looked up from her hands that were twisting nervously together in her lap. Before her the driveway curled to end before a small, quaint log cabin with Sam's little black Jetta parked out in front. Behind it, she could see an inlet of Lake Michigan through a clearing between the snow-covered evergreens. As Sam pulled the car to a stop, Josie continued to stare off in the distance, out toward the lake. Without even realizing she was speaking aloud, Josie murmured, "It's so peaceful here. I can see why you would like it."

Sam turned to stare in surprise at the unknowing Josie. Her reaction was so different from when he had brought Lara here.

Ha! he laughed to himself. _That_ trip had been a disaster. Sam had planned a romantic getaway for he and Lara last summer, thinking that the time away would help them recapture some of their previous affection for each other. The magic of that weekend had lasted precisely three seconds: just long enough for Lara to get dirt on her $300 Gucci shoes. Once she'd found out the cabin didn't even have a telephone, she'd insisted on turning around and going right back to "civilization."

However, Sam had always loved the rustic beauty of the cabin and its surroundings and it was plain to see that Josie did, too. The wonder on her face brought back memories of Josie standing in front of his senior English Lit class, reading her paper on Rosalind and Orlando. He had been transfixed then, just as he felt now.

Forcing himself back to the moment, he said to Josie, breaking her reverie, "Well, we should probably get inside."

Josie turned to look at Sam blankly for a moment before nodding in agreement. She unfastened her seat belt and then turned to reach behind the seat to recover her bags. Sam's hand on her arm stopped her. Josie looked up at him in question.

"I'll get those," Sam said, gently pulling her hand back, before reaching over the bench seat for the bags himself.

"No, really, I can…" Josie started, speaking to his back as he retrieved her computer case and overnight bag.

"_No_," Sam said firmly, turning back around with bags in hand, "Josie, you _were_ in an accident today, and you _did_ bump your head. For all we know, you could have a concussion. I'm not letting you carry anything you don't need to."

Sam's sense of chivalry (albeit belated, since she'd carried her bags _to_ the car just fine…) made Josie smile just a bit. Maybe not _everything_ about him had changed… Jokingly she said, "Yes, doctor."

"Josie…" Sam began, unaware that he was slipping into 'teacher mode'. He just wanted to make sure she realized how important it was for her to take it easy after such an injury. "I'm serious. You really should…"

"Sam," Josie interrupted. "Relax. I was kidding." Then she opened her door and slid down gently to the ground to minimize the jarring of her head.

Sam followed her lead. Josie carefully negotiated her way along the snow-covered path to the door of the cabin. When she reached the door, she looked back at Sam in question.

"Go ahead," he responded to her unspoken request.

Nodding, Josie opened the door and stepped a few feet inside. Looking around, she saw a rather large living room, just the kind she would have imagined: a large double window on the same wall the door was on, a long wooden bench whose seat lifted to stow things beneath lined most of the area below the window. Wide, wooden planks covered the floor and thick, exposed beams crossed above her head. Off to her left, a huge old, oak bookcase filled to the brim with books stood along the back wall, and an overstuffed sofa and a side table between two chairs filled the area in front of the huge stone hearth. In the space on the floor between the sofa and chairs lay a large, thick sheepskin rug. Beyond the sofa were two open doorways along the wall facing her. The left doorway led to a homey kitchen with the cabinets and a counter that took up the whole back wall, a small table in the center and an old cast iron cooking stove off to the left side of the room. The right doorway led into what seemed to be, from Josie's perspective, a bedroom. She could see a large dresser along the wall of the room that adjoined the kitchen, but from her angle, that was it. Josie turned to find Sam watching her intently.

A twinge of blush touched Josie's cheeks when she realized she'd inadvertently left Sam standing in the doorway, unable to enter the room far enough to even shut the door. "Sorry," she apologized, moving aside so that Sam could skirt around her. "I was just…looking around. It's…nice. Cozy," she said.

Sam gave Josie a short nod and then placed her bags on the bench near the door. Turning to go back outside, he said stiffly, "Well, make yourself comfortable…I've got some supplies to get out of the back of the Blazer."

Josie took another step into the room, but then stopped short as she suddenly remembered something. Facing Sam's retreating back, she called, "Sam?"

With a sigh, he turned back around. He'd been hoping to get back outside and put his thoughts in order. Right now, he felt oddly off-kilter…and he didn't like the feeling. "Yes?"

"Um…May I use the phone? I need to let someone know where I am and give the paper a status report of my story…" Josie stammered on as Sam's expression quickly darkened, "I…I wouldn't ask except…my cell phone was badly damaged in the accident. It's unusable."

"The cabin doesn't _have_ a phone," Sam coldly informed her before turning on his heel and stalking off.

Josie stared after him in wounded confusion. Trying to keep up with Sam's quicksilver emotions was starting to make her head spin. _Now_ what had she done?

Sam stomped off toward the Blazer, mentally fuming. _Damned if she isn't just like Lara after all_, he thought heatedly. _Her and that damned job of hers. Nothing else mattered to Josie but her precious newspaper!_ It was no wonder that she had been able to just blithely use him for her own purposes. Her emotional attachment to him, if it had even been real, was purely an accidental side-effect. He was sure of that.

Sam walked around to the back of the vehicle, tossing open the back door viciously, letting it bang against the side roughly. Packing his arms as full as he could with supplies, he marched back to the cabin, shoved open the door roughly with his foot and unceremoniously dumped his handful onto the bench next to Josie's things.

Sam went back out and retrieved the remainder of the items from the back, slamming the back door of the Blazer shut with his right elbow. Entering the cabin again and kicking the door closed with his foot, he put the rest of the supplies on the floor and turned to face Josie again. Other than backing up another step or two into the room, Josie seemed glued to the spot, watching him with a touch of fear in her eyes.

Sam looked Josie up and down. She was dressed very much like Lara used to dress: black business suit with black heels…and it was utterly useless in this weather. "Well? Are you going to change? You aren't really planning on keeping warm in _that_ outfit the next few days, are you?"

Josie looked down at herself in stunned silence for a moment before replying, "I…I don't _have_ anything else…just this and another suit."

Again, this was reminiscent of something Lara would have said and done; but coming from Josie, for some reason it annoyed him ten times more. Walking up to her, Sam put his hands on his hips and glowered down at her. "What kind of complete _idiot_ doesn't have enough common sense to pack any warm clothes in the middle of winter?" Sam pointed at Josie's feet, deriding, "A fat lot of good those heels will do you in three feet of snow!"

Hackles raised, Josie also put her hands on her hips and leaned in toward Sam, barking, "Well, if I'd known I was going to be stuck in a _storm_, of _course_ I would have packed warm clothes! However, this was supposed to be just a simple overnight business trip, not survivalist training camp!"

The two of them stood for a long moment, each glaring at the other, chests heaving from angry exertion. Finally, Sam took a step back and turned to go into the bedroom. Over his shoulder, he said to Josie in a sullen manner, "I'll be right back…"

Moments later, he returned, carrying a pair of snow boots, heavy blue jeans and an oversized sweater. Holding them out to Josie, he said in a more neutral tone, "Here, you can wear these." Josie took them from Sam as he continued, "The boots and pants are my sister Abby's. She's about your size, so maybe they'll fit. She and her husband live in San Francisco now; they don't get up to the cabin much anymore. Besides, under the circumstances, I don't think she'd mind if you used them. I couldn't find anything with her things that resembled a warm shirt, though, so the sweater is mine."

Josie looked down at the pile of clothing in her hand, and then back up to Sam again. He was making no sense at all today. One minute he was looking at her coldly and calling her an idiot, and the next he's producing clothes for her to wear to keep her warm.

Assuming this was Sam's attempt at some sort of apology, Josie said quietly, "Thank you."

Clearing his throat self-consciously, Sam said, "You're welcome. Um…you can change in there." Sam pointed toward the bedroom.

Nodding, Josie replied, "Okay," and headed off in that direction. Watching her feet as she carefully stepped across the raised threshold, she glanced up and stopped dead in her tracks. Then she gasped and her arms went slack, the clothes and boots falling from her hands to the floor with a dull thud.

Sam, hearing the noise and fearing the worst, raced into the bedroom to find Josie standing stock-still, staring at the bed, the clothing she was carrying now piled at her feet on the floor. Worried that something was wrong, that maybe a concussion was starting to set in, he asked softly, "Josie? Are you okay?"

Josie didn't hear Sam's approach, nor did she hear him speak. She could only hear her own blood rushing in her ears. The bed…it was the bed from her dream; the dream from last night: the one that finally made her give up on sleep and get up early. Everything about it was the same: the brass headboard, the handmade quilt…everything. An eerie sense of déjà vu settled over her and she felt suddenly lightheaded.

To Sam's distress, Josie didn't answer, and now she actually seemed to wobble as if she were about to fall over. Without a second's hesitation, Sam scooped Josie up in his arms, carried her to the bed, set her carefully on it, and then sat down next to her and put his arm around her to steady her. "Josie? Are you all right? Is your head hurting you?"

Josie turned toward the sound of Sam's voice in a daze. For a moment, it was as if the dream and the reality had merged into one. But then, she came to herself, focusing on Sam's troubled face. "I…Yeah…yeah, I'm fine now."

Unconvinced, he said, "Maybe we really should get you to the hospital."

Josie sat bolt upright, protesting, "No! No…I mean, really, I'm fine. I was just…thinking of something, that's all. I didn't hear you."

Sam found Josie's excuse highly suspect, but didn't push the issue further. It was obvious that she wasn't the slightest bit interested in going to the hospital. Instead he nodded, appearing to accept her explanation, and stood up. "Well, then, let me give you some privacy so you can change…" He crossed the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Josie alone.

Once Sam was outside the room and had safely closed the door, he sagged back against the wall limply. Sam turned back and stared at the closed bedroom door for several seconds, laying his hand across his beating heart. It was still racing and his breath was still not steady. When he'd heard that loud thump, he'd thought that Josie had fainted or even lost consciousness, that maybe she was hurt more seriously than the EMTs thought. And it had scared the hell out of him. Even now, he wasn't feeling overly confident that she was really all right.

He thought back once again at his crazy, spur of the moment offer to stay with him through the storm, and the fear of his dream that had motivated it. For someone who supposedly no longer meant anything to him, he sure had a lot of reaction to the possibility of losing her. As much as he'd hoped otherwise, Josie Geller still had the power to affect him in a big way…and he hated her for it.

- - -


	5. Chapter 5

Snowbound, Part 5  
By RocknVaughn

- - -

After Sam had once again left her alone in the bedroom, Josie heaved a huge sigh of relief and hugged herself. Slowly she looked again around the room. She tried to convince herself that it was only her imagination; that it wasn't possible that this was the same room she'd dreamed about. After all, she'd never, ever been here before and it was only a dream. But she couldn't shake the feeling.

Closing her eyes, she could see the room of her dream as clearly as if it were right in front of her. It had the same rough-hewn wooden walls, the same oil lamp on the bedside table, the same print of a Georgia O'Keefe flower on the wall over the bed. Behind her was the same doorway (which led to the bathroom) and at the foot of the bed against the wall facing it was the same tall walnut dresser with matching oval mirror above it.

And yes, it was the exact same quilt on the bed. It was what some would call a "Crazy Quilt": just patches of off white and pastel print pieces sewn together in no apparent pattern. Every so often there was a little tuft of tied off-white yarn holding the batting in place.

But it was the content of her dream that really had her head spinning, if only just for its apparent impossibility, even, and actually _especially_ because of her current circumstances…

In her dream, she had been only half awake; the bright sun shone through the window, trying to rouse her. Trying to ignore the call of morning, she snuggled more deeply into the comfort of the quilt…and found that it was not the blanket that made her feel so snuggly warm. It was the male form spooned in behind her, pressed up closely from shoulder to ankle. His arm was protectively around her and it instinctively tightened to pull her even closer to him as she stirred. She could feel his breath whispering across her ear as he drifted back to sleep and she felt wonderful, content. And there was absolutely no question that the man from her dream had been Sam.

Sighing sadly at the hopelessness of that dream ever coming true, she got back to the task of changing into warmer clothes. Stripping off her work suit, she tried on the pants first. They felt slightly tight on her, but knew that in a couple of minutes of her wearing them, they would fit fine; they were just a bit stiff from lack of use. Then she tried on the boots; they also fit closely enough to get by with. Staring at Sam's sweater spread across the bed, she tried to remember if she'd ever seen him wear it, but then realized it would have been out of season for such a heavy sweater by the time she'd entered his class in March. She picked it up and held it to her face, breathing in deeply. Oh yes, it smelled like him…there was even a hint of his aftershave on the collar. Climbing inside of it, Josie found the sweater was made of a soft, brushed cotton on the inside…and with Sam's scent surrounding her she felt almost if his arms _were_ around her.

Standing up, the sweater fell ¾ of the way to her knees and well past her hands. Shoving the sleeves back, she rolled them a few times until her hands emerged again. Looking down at herself, she _did_ have to admit that this was infinitely warmer and more sensible for the impending weather.

Josie thought about Sam and his strange behavior again. It was as if… he'd fall back into the habit of caring about her and then he'd catch himself doing it…and be angry with himself for caring at all. And so far, he'd done it several times today.

By now, Josie was so confused as to Sam's real feelings for her, she was afraid to assume anything at all. After all, it could just be that he was doing for her what he would have done for anyone in her position, she told herself silently as she studied her image in the mirror over the dresser. Her reflection told her it was still the same old Josie, except now she had a surge of conflicting emotions swimming in the depths of her eyes, and Josie knew for sure it was because of seeing Sam again. Straightening her shoulders and watching her reflection do the same; she nodded once in encouragement and then opened the door.

- - -

Trying to take his mind off of the mental picture of Josie undressing just feet away behind that closed bedroom door, he got to work cleaning the ash from the bottom of the hearth, laying in new wood and kindling, and trying to light a new fire. Kneeling beside the open area, Sam pressed both hands to the floor and leaned forward to softly blow at the smoldering kindling, trying to get it to light. After a moment, the spark flared and dribbled along the length of the kindling, starting the fire in earnest. Pushing off his hands, he brushed the thin layer of ash from them and pushed up to one knee just as he heard the bedroom door creak open.

Almost against his will, Sam turned his head to stare at Josie. His sister's jeans seemed to hug her every curve as if they'd been painted on her. He'd never seen her in anything so form fitting, even the Capri pants she used to wear at school. And he couldn't even see her backside, which was covered by the sweater. He felt his mouth water just at the prospect of what _that_ must look like… His eyes traveled higher, thinking that her in his bulky sweater would seem less appealing than the jeans.

He was wrong. Something about the way it dwarfed her, the way it hung almost to her knees and how she'd had to roll up the sleeves to make it fit made her seem small and vulnerable. It brought out all the protective instincts in him. For just a moment, Sam fought the urge to cross the room and enfold her into his arms and tell her that everything would be all right. Coming to his senses, his eyes continued upward, over the swell of her breasts, softly accentuated even under the thick cotton knit. Continuing up to her face, Josie's eyes seemed huge in the gentle ambient light being cast from the growing fire behind him; her skin seemed to glow. And her hair was now softer around her face and slightly tousled from pulling the sweater on over her head.

Unbidden, Sam's mind conjured up images of being the one to remove that sweater, to see if the rest of her skin was as creamy and as kissable soft as her face seemed to be…for her hair to be tousled because of his fingers running through its silkiness, for her eyes to seem huge and glowing from his touch and for no other reason. Raw desire grew in the pit of his stomach and surprised Sam with its sudden ferocity.

Standing abruptly, he brushed the ash from his knees and turned his back to her swiftly. He knew it was only a matter of time before the feeling in the pit of his stomach moved lower, and the knowledge of that made him feel more vulnerable.

Clearing his throat, he prayed his voice wouldn't give away his feelings when he said, "Hi…ahem…glad to see everything fits okay."

Josie stared at Sam's back for a moment, watching as he puttered around the living room area straightening rugs and plumping pillows. He seemed alight with nervous energy all of a sudden and pondered over the reason for it. At least his greeting seemed non-aggressive, even if his prolonged stare was unsettling.

She responded softly, "Yes, it all seems to…thanks."

Sam's head bobbed in acknowledgement of her statement, but he still did not turn around. Instead, he walked over to the huge bookcase along the back wall, pretending to study the titles of the books, when in reality he was trying to get a handle on his wayward thoughts.

Josie followed Sam over to the bookcase, standing next to him, perusing the titles and was not at all surprised to find the bookcase filled to overflowing with classic works of all sorts. "Wow…this is quite a collection," she said, carefully pulling a hardcover copy of _The Catcher in the Rye_ off the shelf and leafing through it.

Sam looked down at Josie for a moment in response to her comment, which was a big mistake. With her standing right next to him, he smell the fruity shampoo she always used, along with a soft, sweet scent of peach blossoms that used to drive him insane whenever she'd stand over him at his desk at South Glen. Quickly moving his line of sight back to the bookshelf, he explained, "My father has been collecting books for ages. This is just his overflow…you should see the bookshelves he has back home."

"Really?" Josie exclaimed, interested. "That must be some collection…" Flipping the book closed, she was about to slide it back on the shelf when she noticed the photo of the author J.D. Salinger on the back cover of the book. Gasping, she opened the book again, carefully checking the front inside flap of the dust jacket and the copyright page of the book.

Hearing Josie's gasp, Sam asked, "What's the matter?"

Looking up to Sam in awe, she said, "Sam, is your father aware that this is a first edition of this book?"

"What? How do you know?" Sam looked down at the book cradled in Josie's hands.

"Well, I had a suspicion when I saw Salinger's picture on the back cover. Only the very earliest printings of this book have it. The story goes that he hated it so much, he insisted it be removed from all further printings. And this dust jacket," she said, flipping to the front end flap, "has the $3.00 price on it, which means it isn't a book club edition, because they didn't list a price. But the kicker is this," she said, opening the book back up to the copyright page and pointing with her finger. "It says right here that it's a first edition…see?"

Sam's eyes widened as he saw the words "First Edition" just above Josie's finger on the page. "Wow! No, I very much doubt he has any idea… He collects books simply because he's an avid reader, not for investment purposes. I'm sure he probably bought that at someone's yard sale years ago or something." Looking down at Josie again, he said, "How do you know so much about this stuff?"

Josie blushed a little with embarrassment. "Well, for fun one semester in college, I took a class on how to identify rare books and to grade their condition. It was really fascinating. This one is in beautiful shape, especially considering how frail the dust jacket on this particular title is rumored to be. Apparently being here at the cabin has been good for it."

She gingerly handed the book to Sam and for a moment their fingers grazed each other's. A jolt of electricity shot between them and they stared at each other for a long moment before they both turned away abruptly. Josie nervously backed off and went over to the bench seat to collect her bags. "Um…where should I put my things?"

Sam, caught up in the wonder of holding such a rare book in his hands and also in the swirling feelings cast over him by Josie, took a long moment to answer. "You can just take them into the bedroom if you want. You'll be staying in there."

"But then…where will you sleep?" Josie really hadn't meant to ask the question aloud. She was simply thinking to herself about he must have meant to sleep in there, since his things were in there, and now where would he go? Would he still want to sleep in there…with her? Her heart pounded dangerously at the idea of that, especially in light of last night's dream. She tried to reason that was probably not his intention, but if not…and that's when her mouth took over and spoke the question that occupied her brain.

The sincere confusion in Josie's voice told Sam this was not some sort of coy invitation…the kind that Lara might have offered in her position. Trying once again to force the very appealing vision of sleeping with Josie from his mind, he answered, "I brought a sleeping bag with me…I can just crash in front of the hearth on the sheepskin."

Aghast, Josie sputtered, "But…but…it's _your_ house…I'm just the interloper…_I_ should be the one to…"

Finally, Sam turned and made eye contact with Josie. His darkened, intense gaze silenced her mid-sentence. "Sorry, Josie. This is non-negotiable. My mother taught me to have good manners, and they dictate that when there's only one bed, the guest sleeps in it. Besides, I slept out here last night and it was perfectly comfortable." Sam internally winced at that half-truth.

"I wouldn't exactly call myself a _guest_…" Josie muttered.

"Josie…" Sam said with his "teacher's warning" tone. "It's settled. Besides, you're hurt. I'm not going to let you sleep on a hard floor with that egg on the back of your head." Then he placed the book in his hand carefully back into its place on the shelf and walked over to her, relieving her of her baggage. "And besides, I thought I told you that you weren't allowed to carry this stuff?" Then he walked off toward the bedroom, leaving Josie to trail behind him.

Following Sam, she continued to protest, "Sam…come on. They probably weigh ten pounds total. I'm not dying…I just bumped my head. Really."

"Well, I'm not taking any chances, and neither should you. The last thing either of us needs is an emergency trip to the hospital at the height of the storm. I highly doubt it'd be much fun spending Christmas laid up in bed in a strange place like that."

Josie paled and stopped in her tracks in the doorway of the bedroom. In the meantime, Sam carefully laid her bags onto the bed and turned around to find a dejected-looking Josie slumped against the doorframe. "What?" he asked.

Looking up to see Sam watching her, she tried to cover her misery. "Oh, nothing."

Sam simply raised an eyebrow at her and continued to stare.

Sighing sadly, Josie admitted, "Your mention of Christmas just made me realize that there are a lot of people who are going to be very worried about me…and I don't have any way of letting them know I'm okay. I…feel bad that they will be so worried when I'm really all right."

Sam put a hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't even think of that when you asked about the phone earlier. I…I have a cell phone in the Blazer. You can use that to let people know where you are. I'll go get it."

As Sam went to retrieve his cellular phone from the car, his mind was awhirl with emotions. As much as he'd tried to hold onto his anger, as soon as he'd seen Josie standing there in his sweater and those painted-on blue jeans, the thought had vanished from his mind. It was hard to stay mad at someone who wouldn't give you any reasons to be that way. Other than standing up to him when he had been yelling at her, Josie hadn't said or done one thing that he could honestly find fault with.

And what was more, the longer he was around her, the more he seemed to see the "old Josie" in her…the one he had once thought her to be. She still blushed prettily whenever he noticed her, and she was still just as excited and animated about anything having to do with literature, as evidenced by her reaction to his father's bookshelf and in finding that first edition book.

So, Sam wondered as he reached inside the Blazer and pulled the phone from its charging cradle, what did this mean? Did it mean that Josie really _was_ the person he'd once believed her to be? Or did it simply mean he hadn't learned a thing from the heartache he'd suffered all this time and he was just as gullible and vulnerable to her charms? It was an answer he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

- - -

Josie stared after Sam as he walked out the door of the cabin toward the Blazer. There he went, being all nice and considerate to her again, and she didn't know what she was supposed to think. She smiled softly as she thought back to a few minutes before when they'd been in front of the bookcase. For those few moments, things had been like they once were: camaraderie, friendship, and love of a common interest. And there had been more, oh yes. Something they used to have even when they hadn't wanted it to be there: chemistry. She felt it every time he looked at her, every time he touched her, and from his reaction when their fingers had touched when she'd passed the book to him, he'd felt it too.

Gosh, she'd been standing so close to him that she could feel his body heat warming her. And why was it that when he smiled down at her, the rest of the world seemed to dim?

'Oh, Josie,' she warned herself, 'don't set yourself up for a fall again. You're reading things that aren't there into his reactions… The reaction you _should_ be paying attention to was his near revulsion of you in the car, his snapping at her when she'd asked for the phone. Those were his _real_ emotions…the rest is just "manners", as he had called them.' Remembering the icy look in his eyes when he'd told her, "Don't bother apologizing," made her shiver involuntarily. Idly, she ran her hands up and down her arms, trying to rub the coldness from her.

- - -

As Sam sprinted back in from the car, he could feel the easterly wind starting to pick up and turned up his coat collar against it. It wouldn't be longer than an hour or two before the snow would start up again. A heavy weight slid onto his shoulders as he realized the full magnitude of what he had done. He had wanted to erase all traces of Josie from his life on this trip, but there was no way it could happen now. Not with her under his very nose for who knew how long. Even now, he could feel the protective shell of anger starting to slip away from him. And he knew what that meant…he'd be vulnerable to her again…_too_ vulnerable.

A part of his heart had always held out hope: hope that one day Josie would come to him and beg his forgiveness in person, try to convince him that her love for him had been real, and most of all, an explanation…one that he could put his trust in and believe. And now…well now he understood the adage, "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it…" because it was happening to him. It was his dream coming true…and also his worst nightmare.

Because the bigger part of him was afraid…afraid and hurt. Josie's betrayal and lies had hurt him beyond belief. Finally, he'd started to believe in the sort of love that Shakespeare wrote about. He'd finally started to think that kind of magic _could_ happen to him. And he thought he'd even felt it, felt it flowing between them like some unspoken language only they could understand. Josie's abrupt revelation about her identity and the subsequent discussion he'd overheard the evening of the prom had decimated those hopes in one swift blow…and he'd been left with nothing: he'd been an empty shell of a man, and it had taken him months to get to the point where he could at least _appear_ normal to others, but the wound was far from healed.

Oh, if there were only some way to know? If there were only some way to know the absolute truth in advance…so he wouldn't have to put his heart at risk again…

With that thought echoing in his head, he entered the open doorway of the cabin to see Josie staring off into space, idly rubbing her hands slowly up and down her arms. She appeared to be deep in thought, and he wondered if her thoughts included him. His eyes honed in on her hands as they drifted over the knit of his sweater and unbidden the yearning for her to touch _him_ that way awoke.

Closing his eyes against the sight, Sam forced those desires back into the realm of his subconscious. He knew he had to put a stop to such things before it was too late. His voice still a bit gruff from struggling with his own thoughts, Sam said stiffly, "Here." He held the phone out at arm's length, as if afraid of getting closer to her.

Josie came to at the sound of Sam's voice. She looked up and it seemed everything about him confirmed her negative thoughts: his face seemed very closed and cool, and he held the telephone out to her as if he were afraid to even touch her, as if she were infected somehow. Slowly, she reached out a heavy hand toward him and Sam dropped the phone into her palm. Josie stared at the thing for a long moment and then raised her eyes to his once more.

The saddened look in Josie's eyes slammed into Sam's consciousness and plucked at his heartstrings. The misery emanating from her seemed to permeate his being and seep into his soul. It almost felt as if he _understood_ her…what the look meant in all its conflicting glory…and the realization of that shook Sam to the core. He didn't _want_ to understand…he didn't _want_ to feel her pain. Right now, he had enough of his own to deal with.

Without realizing he did it, Sam took a step backward, and then another. "Listen, I'll give you some privacy to make your calls. I need to go outside and chop some more wood. We may be stuck inside for a while…I want to stock up." He stopped at the doorway to tuck a fur-lined hat onto his head, and slipped his hands into sheepskin lined work gloves. He looked back at Josie for just a moment before closing the door behind him.

It had been a big mistake. Her sorrow became instantly branded onto the backs of his eyelids and refused to go away. He knew without a doubt that it was going to be a long next few days…and the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that it would be a miracle if either of them survived intact.

- - -

Josie stared at the closed door to the cabin for a long time before she flipped the case to Sam's cell phone open and began to dial.

At the sound of her phone ringing, Anita swallowed a quick bite from her club sandwich and washed it down with a sip from her can of Diet Pepsi. Because of the holidays, there were more Classifieds to deal with than normal. That meant only one thing to Anita: lots of working lunches. Gus was not at all forgiving about missing deadlines, even under such circumstances. And while she delighted in annoying Gus, she took tremendous pride in her work.

Picking up the receiver, Anita answered, "Classifieds, Anita Brandt."

"Anita, it's Josie."

"Hey, Josie! How's things up in the Great White North?" Anita chuckled at her own humor. "Seen any polar bears lately?"

Shaking her head slowly at Anita's antics, Josie replied, "Not recently, no. Anita, its just Wisconsin, not the Arctic…"

"Well, with the weather report _I_ heard, you could have fooled me. It's a good thing you're on your way out of there, because otherwise I'd have to send a sled dog team for you!" Anita joked.

"Actually…" Josie hesitated, "That's what I'm calling you about. There's been a little…change of plans…"

Anita sat up straighter in her seat at the tone of Josie's voice. Something was not right; she could feel it. "What _kind_ of change of plans?"

"Well, Anita…I'm going to need you to access my e-mail. I sent myself the draft of my article. Print it out and give it to Gus, okay? He'll need someone else to finish it up for tomorrow's insertion."

Anita sat silently for a moment, stunned. Josie _never_ let anyone look at her stories until they were complete. "All right Jos, spill it. Something is _definitely_ up, and I want to know what it is."

Josie looked for a long moment out the window, watching Sam as he hefted the axe above his head and purposefully swung it downward, splitting a log cleanly in two. It was amazing how graceful he seemed in everything he did…

"Josie? What is going on?"

Startled by Anita's raised voice, Josie actually dropped the phone. It clattered noisily on the hardwood floor. Reaching for it hastily, Josie said, "Sorry, Nita, I dropped the phone." She paused for a long moment, sighing as her eyes strayed once again to Sam's athletic form. When he bent over to retrieve another piece of wood to split, she had a perfect view of the way his jeans seemed molded to him. Finally, Josie said, "I…Well…there's been an accident…"

Anita's eyes widened. "What _kind_ of accident? Oh, God, are you okay? Where are you?"

"Slow down, slow down… I got into a little accident with my car a little while ago…" Josie raised her voice when Anita was going to interrupt, "but I'm okay, just a little bump to the head, but I'm fine. My car, however, is _not_ fine, so it appears that I'll be stuck here for a while. As in until after the storm."

"Where are you?" Anita asked again. "Are you still in Green Bay?"

"No, I'm in a small town on the coast named Oswego."

"Josie…what are you doing way out there? Why didn't you just take the highway home?" Anita asked, quite confused now.

"I…I don't know. I just didn't. Anyway, I'm stuck here, so you'll have to get that stuff to Gus for me, okay?"

"All right, but…why can't you finish it up and send it off yourself tonight?"

Josie fidgeted. She didn't really want to tell Anita this part, but she knew there was no way around it. "Because where I'm staying doesn't _have_ a phone."

Anita now sounded amused. "Uh huh, and so you called me using what? A tin can and a string? Oh, wait, you've got your cell phone, right?"

"Actually, no, I don't. Mine was damaged in the accident. This is Sam's phone, and I…"

In complete and total shock, Anita's voice actually squeaked when she asked in disbelief, "Wait… _What_ did you just say?"

Josie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Here it was, the moment she was dreading. In a rush, she forged lamely ahead, "I said it's Sam's cell phone. His family has a cabin here and…I'll be staying there with him to ride out the storm."

- - -


	6. Chapter 6

Snowbound, Part 6  
By RocknVaughn

- - -

A long, thick silence met Josie's ear. Finally, Anita's incredulous voice asked, "Sam? As in 'Sam-the-slimy-bastard-who-left-you-standing-on-the-ballfield-and-broke-your-heart-into-a-million-little-pieces' Coulson?" Her voice had started softly but rose in volume as she got more and more upset.

Josie glanced out the window once more, focusing her eyes on the subject of their conversation. "Yes," she said softly, the pain of those memories turning her voice bittersweet. "That's the one." She looked down at her feet that were sheathed in Sam's sister's boots and sighed.

A million questions spun around in Anita's mind, but the one that popped out of her mouth first was, "Josie…are you completely and totally _insane_?"

Ruefully, Josie admitted, "Well, I _am_ starting to wonder…"

Anita looked up to realize that several of her co-workers were staring at her after her last outburst. Sheepishly, she shrunk down a tad in her seat and quieted her voice. "Okay, back the truck up. Would you like to explain to me just _how_ you ended up in the company of that horse's ass?"

_No, not really,_ Josie thought to herself. Sighing, she hedged, "Anita, I wish you wouldn't call him that. We've been through this before…Sam had every right to be angry with me for what I did. I'd been lying to him for weeks, and after overhearing what George said…"

Anita cut her off abruptly. "Jos, I'm sorry, but the man's a jerk; plain and simple. Any guy who supposedly cared for you and read that article of yours – the way you poured your very heart out on that page – and could still walk away from you is either spineless or heartless…or both!"

Weakly, Josie added, "We don't know for sure that he read it…"

Rolling her eyes from Josie's grasping at straws, she said plainly, "Oh come on…of _course_ he read it. Every living, breathing human being in _Chicago_ read it. It was picked up and published by every major newspaper in the country. You were all over the TV. There is no way he could possibly have missed it. You know that."

Josie's only response was a sigh, more longing and pitiful than the last.

Anita pressed, "You never did tell me how you ended up there with _him_…"

"Well, a snow squall pretty much sprung up out of nowhere, and suddenly I couldn't even see three feet beyond the hood of the car. But there was no shoulder on the road, so I had to keep driving. I guess I must've driven over the center line without knowing it, because suddenly there were headlights in my view and I swerved to get out of the way and ended up driving down an embankment and into a tree."

"Uh huh…but that still doesn't explain where _he_ comes into the picture."

Josie half-smiled and said, almost not believing the coincidence herself, "Sam was the one driving the other car…the one I almost hit."

Anita sat bolt upright and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end. The odds of something like that happening in Chicago—let alone on a deserted street several hundred miles from where they both lived—was astronomical, and Anita knew it. She breathed, "Josie…that's bizarre."

"_Tell_ me about it," Josie agreed. "The last thing I remember was that tree looming up before me and the next thing I know I'm waking up in a strange car with Sam hovering over me."

"Uh huh. And then how did you end up at his cabin? Did he kidnap you or something?" Anita asked crossly.

Josie actually giggled a bit at the outlandish idea of Sam Coulson spiriting her away to his private cabin in the woods. "Come on, Anita…if he'd kidnapped me, do you think he'd have let me use his cell phone? No, it wasn't like that at all. He called 911 and the police came and all that. Quite normal, I assure you. It was only after we found out that my car was too damaged to drive and that there wasn't a hotel within 30 miles of here that he made the offer. At the time, I assure you, he didn't seem too thrilled about it."

Anita listened to Josie's explanation, but something just didn't seem to add up. "No, no, Josie," she said finally. "Something's not right here. Supposedly the guy hates your guts, right?"

"Right," Josie agreed.

"So then, why would someone who hated your guts _care_ if you had no place to stay? Wouldn't he get some kind of sick satisfaction out of seeing you suffer?"

Josie didn't have an answer to that. In fact, she'd been wondering the same thing all afternoon. And judging by the way that Sam was now attacking that woodpile as if tormented by a host of inner demons, she'd guess even the man himself couldn't tell her. Finally she said to Anita, "I don't know. The way he's been acting today hasn't made any sense at all…"

Her curiosity instantly piqued, Anita leaned forward in her chair and asked, "What do you mean? How has he been acting?"

Josie struggled to put her intuitive suspicions into words. "Well, sometimes he's really cold, you know? And at others…well, its almost as if…" Sighing she paused, and then said, "It's almost as if maybe he _does_ still care a little. But when he catches himself doing it, he gets mad at himself…and at me. Oh, Anita…I just don't know _what_ to think!"

Anita's protective instincts came out full force as she said, "Josie, I'm telling you; you need to get out of there. Go someplace…_anyplace_ else, hon. Because I can hear it already: he's starting to get to you. I have no idea why he's doing this, but I think it can't be good. At best, you two have a lot of pain and hostility between you; at worst…well, who knows what kind of revenge he may want to take while you are at his mercy…"

"Anita, Sam is _not_ going to hurt me. He's not that kind of guy, no matter what you say."

"Josie, I didn't mean he would try and hurt you _physically_…I just meant like mind games, you know? Maybe try and hurt you the way he felt he was hurt?"

Josie's heart stopped for a split second as the icy cold possibility slid down her spine. What if Sam _was_ trying to mess with her mind? Could she survive that kind of pain a second time?

Anita's next statement mirrored Josie's thoughts. "Josie…I don't know if you could make it through that again. And I don't want him to have that chance to. Please, for me…get out of there."

Josie's eyes strayed to Sam again. He had the axe head rested on the cutting block and had placed a forearm on the butt end of the handle to rest while he wiped sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his jacket. He lifted his chin and seemed to stare off into space, deep in thought. Even from this distance, Josie could sense that he was intensely troubled.

And then slowly he turned his head and stared right at her, as if he could actually feel her gaze on him and had been compelled to acknowledge it. Josie sucked in a breath and held it, not able to pull her eyes from his. They were full of emotion, and as unguarded as she'd seen them thus far. Plainly he was angry… or was trying to be. And for the first time, Josie realized that the anger was only a front, a barrier Sam had erected for self-protection. But in that moment, the anger seemed to be fading, and other, truer emotions were showing through: pain, confusion, and caution. But it was the emotion from his deepest level that shook her: hope. Just a faint, fragile glimmer of hope remained underneath the rest. It was there on his face for a moment before he reigned in his thoughts and the mental barrier slid back into place.

That one look was all it took for Josie's own smoldering hope to spring back to life. If there was any hope whatsoever that she could repair the damage and mend the rift between her and Sam, she knew she would have to try. "I…I can't, 'Nita. I mean, I understand where you're coming from, and I appreciate your concern, but this is just something that I have to do."

"But—"

"No buts, Anita. Call me crazy, but I'm staying, and that's final."

Anita let out a heavy sigh, but knew better than to try to argue with Josie once she'd made up her mind.

"Oh, and 'Nita?"

Sighing again, she said, "Yes?"

"Can…can you please call my parents and let them know what's up? I don't want to tie up Sam's phone too long and use up the battery time. Who knows if we may need to use it later, you know?"

"You've _got_ to be kidding! You want _me_ to call _your_ dad and tell him you're spending Christmas with his idea of the devil incarnate? Nuh-uh, no thanks. If ever a messenger was gonna get shot for delivering a message, that would be the one message I would get shot for!"

"Anita…please! I know it's asking a lot, but… Well, frankly I'm just not ready to answer the kind of questions we both know my parents will ask… " Josie begged. "Anita, you're my best friend! I'm counting on you…please?"

"Aww, man! I _hate_ when you pull out the 'best friend' stuff!" Anita complained.

Josie smiled because she knew Anita was about to cave in.

"Okay, okay…I'll do it," Anita huffed sulkily. Then she brightened and said, "Well, at least if there's an up side to this, it would be that if that man harms even one hair on your head…and you know what I mean…your dad really _will _kill him this time. And I'll want front row seats…"

Rolling her eyes, Josie said, "I'm sure that won't be necessary. Everything will be just fine; you'll see."

Anita didn't sound convinced, "Yeah, right, sure…whatever you say, Jos. Just…be careful, all right?"

"I will," Josie vowed. "And don't forget to get that draft to Gus, all right? I'll get back in touch as soon as the storm is over. And if my parents or anyone wants to check this stuff out, tell them to call Sheriff Will Parker in Oswego. He was the one that came out to the accident scene and can verify my story."

"Oooh, a man in uniform…" Anita gushed. "Was he cute?"

Josie shook her head. Anita was still incorrigible when it came to men. "Yeah, he was kind of cute, I guess…but cute and _married_ if the wedding ring on his finger meant anything…"

"Damn…" Anita said forlornly.

Josie giggled, "Honestly!" Then, "I'll talk to you soon, 'Nita. Have a good Christmas, okay?"

Anita returned, "Yeah, I will. Well, I know what you want in _your _stocking Christmas morning… And honestly…if he's really what you want then I hope it works out. Just take care of yourself, okay? Don't let him hurt you."

"I won't; I promise. Bye, Anita."

"Bye, Jos," came the reply before the line clicked into silence.

Josie looked out the window at Sam for a moment and then back down to his phone in her hand. Suddenly she realized that there was no way she could actually follow through on her promise to Anita not to get hurt. She was already in way too deep.

- - -

Sam shut the cabin door behind him, walking purposefully toward the cutting block, where he'd left the axe wedged into its wide face earlier that day. Brushing the snow off the handle, he grabbed it with both hands and yanked it out. Resting it against a nearby tree, he then reached down and brushed a layer of snow off the large, round, low stump he was using for a cutting block. Then, grabbing a hunk of wood, he set it onto the block and grabbed the axe, swinging it above his head and back down, severing the piece of wood into two.

Sam relished the familiar stinging in his hands and arms from the axe head's contact with the wood. He could use something to take his mind off of his dilemma…and his attraction to Josie. The biting cold air did seem to take the edge off that aspect, but instead, he felt it being replaced by anger and frustration. Sam picked up another log and set it on end and then dissected that piece with a swing of the axe as well. How dare she come along and ruin any chance of resolution he'd hoped to attain on this trip? How dare she make him feel these things about her? How dare she…?

As Sam got deeper and deeper into his thoughts of all the things he wanted to blame Josie for, he got more and more agitated. Without realizing it, he was now cutting wood at a frightening pace. His chest was heaving from the exertion and sweat dotted his brow, but all he could think of was Josie.

Finally, he'd reached a breaking point physically; he _had_ to stop and rest. Wearily resting the axe head onto the cutting block, he leaned his weight heavily onto the upturned handle end. Now that he had stopped his frenzied pace, he could feel the beads of sweat cooling quickly on his forehead and dripping down his face. Shivering a little, he used the sleeve from his coat to wipe it off.

And now that he could hear himself think over the furious beating of his heart, he also realized that his anger was basically unfounded. He realized that the person he really should be angry with was himself. After all, Josie wasn't _trying_ to attract him. And it certainly wasn't her fault that he couldn't seem to keep his mind from thinking about what it would be like to be to make love with her, to kiss her…hell, just to hold her in his arms…

In truth, Josie had done nothing at all today to incite any of the conflicting emotions that were now torturing him. All she had been was what he had always known her to be, but even that disturbed him, because a part of him didn't want to believe that he'd been wrong about her using him for a story. Because if he had been wrong those months ago, then he'd thrown away something wonderful and precious simply for the sake of his pride, and he didn't want to face that.

And then suddenly, the hair on the back of Sam's neck stood on end, and he _knew_ that Josie was staring at him. It was as if he could feel the heat of her gaze burning right through him. He could not stop himself from turning to look at her, and as soon as he did, he felt as if he were a deer caught in a pair of headlights: even though destruction could be imminent, he just couldn't break contact.

Josie was still on the telephone, but it seemed that as soon as he made eye contact with her, she forgot to speak. She seemed just as caught by his gaze as he was by hers. Her expressive eyes infused him with knowledge, and he could almost feel the conflict raging within her. She was wary, and afraid, and…hopeful? Did he really see the pain of unrequited love hovering there just beyond his reach?

For a split second, he felt his heart expanding. The hope that was no more than a faint glimmer in a deep hidden place started to glow. For just a split second, he allowed himself to think, "What if…?"

And then catching himself, he realized that yet again, he'd begun to fall under her spell. He was going to have to try a heck of a lot harder if he was going to survive being with Josie for the next two or three days…

He forced himself to look away from her and then picked up his axe and prepared to chop some more wood.

- - -

Wanting to take her mind off of the look she'd shared with Sam and its potential meaning, she turned away from the window and walked toward the couch, dropping Sam's cell phone on the side table as she passed it. Settling down on the couch she watched the flames in the hearth dancing for several minutes before breaking from her reverie and looking around a bit. Next to her, on the table where she'd dropped the cell phone, was a hardcover book. She picked it up and turned it over to read "Jane Eyre" on the cover.

Smiling slightly, she settled into the couch and began to read. She had loved this book from a young age, easily being able to identify with Jane's plainness and inability to fit in. And just as Jane did, she had always hoped there would be that one man that could see beneath her plain exterior and find a beautiful woman within.

Being a very quick reader, it did not take her long to reach the part where Jane first meets her employer Mr. Rochester. And even though the description of him was completely at odds with Sam; that was the picture that surfaced in her mind as she read. She couldn't help it; it just seemed that the haunted tortured eyes of Rochester must have looked just like Sam's…

Josie jumped as the door to the cabin suddenly flung open, slamming hard against the side wall from the force of the whipping wind outside. Dropping the book from her shaking hands, she slowly stood and turned toward the door. Blowing snow swirled around Sam's feet as he carried his first armful of firewood inside.

Smiling slightly in apology, Sam said, "Sorry about the door, the wind caught it and my hands were full." He grunted as he dropped the wood into a small pile along the bench by the window.

"Th…that's okay," Josie replied, still a bit shaken from the scare as well as from the depth of emotion she was feeling at that moment. Pushing those feelings aside she asked, "Would you like me to help you with that?"

A flicker of concern crossed Sam's face before he replied, "No, thank you. You're not supposed to be doing anything but resting, remember? I'll get it."

Nodding a bit, Josie settled uneasily back into her spot on the couch and tried to resume reading, but soon she discovered it was impossible. Every time Sam would enter the room, burdened by yet another load of wood, she couldn't help but glance up from the book to watch him. Yet, she didn't want him to realize she was really watching him, so she kept the book to serve as a cover.

Finally, after several trips, Sam walked through the doorway and kicked the door shut with his foot before depositing his latest armful on the impressive stack he'd made against the wall. Brushing wood chips off his gloves, he removed them and his hat, tucking them onto the coat tree before shrugging out of his woolen coat and placing it over them on the tree as well.

He turned to walk toward where Josie was sitting and for a split second it seemed that Josie had been watching him, but he shook his head, telling himself he must simply have imagined it. After all, she was reading, and she usually was completely engrossed when she read…

He walked around and plopped on the far end of the couch, away from where Josie was curled up. He leaned down and started to untie his bootlaces and said, "The wind is really starting to kick up out there. I'd bet we'll see the snow start anytime now…"

When Josie didn't respond, he looked up for a moment from his boot, taking in the title of the book. Sucking in a breath, he realized she was reading the same book he'd been reading just that last evening. He wondered briefly if she also felt the connection between the book and their situation, but didn't dare ask. Finally he found his voice and asked, "Jane Eyre? You like that book, too?"

Josie's startled eyes met Sam's over the top of the book. Sam had said the word "too" as if it were also a favorite… "Y..yes, I like it very much. One of my favorites, actually."

Sam nodded, his eyes not leaving Josie's as he finished untying the knot on his left boot and used his right to push the boot off his foot. "Mine, too," he responded. "The Bronte sisters certainly had a way with words. I liked Wuthering Heights quite a bit as well. But, well…I like Jane's character better than Cathy's."

Josie smiled. This was her opinion as well. It did make her curious as to Sam's reasoning, though. "Why do you think that?" she asked softly, using her finger to hold her place in the book and then setting it down in her lap.

Sam looked down for a moment to struggle with a knot in the lace of his right boot and then back to Josie's eager face with a grin. "Well," he admitted, "while both Jane and Cathy fell in love with men they believed they couldn't have, at least Jane was honest about it. She didn't deny the feelings the way Cathy did. Cathy turned her back on the truth and thereby caused the ruin of both herself and Heathcliff."

Once the words were out of his mouth, Sam wished he'd never spoken them, because it brought to light his feelings for Josie, and he felt exposed. He'd thought that Josie was like Jane, when in reality she was more like Cathy, only using him to get what she wanted only to bring about his ruin with her cowardice.

Josie knew the exact moment when Sam made the connection with what he'd just said and their situation because he abruptly looked back down at his remaining boot and shoved it off fiercely with his other foot…with anger or self-recrimination she wasn't sure. Without another glance at her, Sam bent over, picked up his boots with his left hand, stood up and deposited them in front of the fire before turning and heading toward the kitchen. "I think I'm going to put some water on for hot chocolate. I'm feeling a bit chilled," he intoned dully, his back still to her.

Josie stared after Sam for many long moments, trying to decide whether to leave him alone with his thoughts or to try and start making amends. Finally, she laid the book aside and followed Sam into the kitchen.

Sam had just relit the wood inside the stove and set the white-flecked camping kettle on it when he felt Josie's presence behind him. He stiffened involuntarily and had to force himself to relax again. "Yes?" he asked without turning to her.

"I…I thought that maybe you'd put on enough water for us both to have hot chocolate," Josie hedged.

Sam nodded, crossing the room to adjust a few food cans sitting on the far counter. "I can bring it in to you when it's ready, if you'd like."

Josie hesitated but then steeled her nerves and crossed the room as well, stopping a hairsbreadth behind Sam. "Sam," she said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder, "if we're going to be stuck in this cabin together for a while, then we've got to stop avoiding each other so much."

The heat from Josie's hand shot through Sam's system, a feeling he couldn't deny, as much as he wanted to. He heard the validity of Josie's words, but yet he feared for his sanity. While he agreed that it would be exceedingly difficult for them if they continued avoiding whatever this was between them, if just the touch of her hand could make him feel this out of control…

Finally, he turned his head and looked into Josie's eyes, unable to completely hide the spark he felt from her touch.

Suddenly, Josie felt as if her hand were burning, but instead of removing it, her fingers tightened just slightly, as if unwilling to let go of the tenuous grasp they had on him. Caught in Sam's gaze, Josie couldn't move.

The power and force he felt in Josie's look actually caused him to sway toward her just slightly. A wave of longing washed over him and all he could think of was how badly he wanted to feel Josie's lips upon his, wanted to wrap his arms around her…

His eyes started to close…but then he came to his senses abruptly and pulled away from Josie's grasp, stepping backward to break the connection.

Josie, still a bit dazed from what had almost happened, watched Sam's Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed nervously before responding hoarsely, "I'm not sure that's such a good idea…"

- - -


	7. Chapter 7

Snowbound, Part 7  
By RocknVaughn

- - -

For a long moment, both were silent, not sure what to say or do next, but then Josie said, "Sam, we really do need to talk, don't you think?"

Sam, who was staring down at his socks, sighed wearily. "I suppose we do need to make some peace with the past. But I just don't think I'm up to it right now, okay?" He paused and then admitted, "Seeing you again has been sort of a shock and I think I need more time to get used to the idea first."

Josie nodded in understanding. She, too, felt off balance by the sudden reappearance of Sam Coulson in her life. Maybe he was right and they needed some space before they could handle dealing with each other. "Okay…well, then… I guess I'll just go back out to the living room and maybe you can bring me some hot chocolate when the water's ready?"

Sam glanced up at Josie briefly and then over toward the stove. "Fine. Thanks."

Sam watched as Josie retreated into the living room and folded her petite body back into the corner of the couch and retrieved the book she'd been reading.

Satisfied that she was giving him the space and privacy he'd asked for, he plopped himself wearily into a chair in front of the kitchen table, his back toward the living room. Leaning heavily on his elbows, he let his hands slide up deep into his hair. At least that way, he wouldn't have to think about how badly they were shaking.

My God, he'd almost kissed her. How the hell was he going to survive the next few days trapped inside this three-room cabin with Josie Geller if even now he couldn't control his actions around her? And why? All because she'd touched him: a harmless, innocent touch. Damn, hadn't she touched him thousands of times in the past? Why would this time be so different? Why would this affect him so much now?

_Because_, his inner voice answered, _before she was a seventeen-year-old girl to you. Now you know she's a twenty-six year old woman, and that makes all the difference in the world._

_Yes_, he thought back angrily, _but now I also know that she is a lying, conniving twenty-six year old reporter…Shouldn't **that** make a difference?_

The answer came quickly. _No, you **don't** know that, and it's precisely **because** you don't know it that you're having problems…_

Sighing, Sam admitted that truth. As much as he wanted to place all the blame at Josie's feet, he was finding it more and more difficult to do so. Of course, it certainly didn't help that being around her was becoming more and more distracting. How was he supposed to figure this dilemma out if he couldn't even think straight in her presence? This situation was becoming more difficult by the moment.

The sound of the whistling water kettle broke into Sam's thoughts and pulled him up from his seat to answer its call. Hauling it off the stove, he placed the kettle on the hot plate in the center of the kitchen table and then rummaged in the cabinets for the sugared cocoa, some marshmallows, and two tall coffee mugs.

A moment later, a better-composed Sam was carrying the two steaming mugs into the living room, setting Josie's on a coaster on the side table by her left elbow. "Here you go," he said with a slight smile. "Hot cocoa the way my mother used to make it when I was a boy." He saw Josie turn from staring at the fire to make eye contact with him for a long moment, as if she had been in thoughts of her own and needed time to register what he'd said. Then she followed his glance to the coffee mug.

She stared at it for a moment and then it seemed almost as if tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes, even against what seemed to be her iron will.

A bit alarmed, Sam rushed out, "What? Do you not like it with marshmallows? I mean…I didn't even stop to think…I just…"

Josie broke with a tiny grin before shaking her head the tiniest bit and saying thickly, "No…it's fine, really. It's just so…sweet of you. Thanks."

Despite himself, a pleased smile grew on Sam's face as he sat in the chair opposite Josie. "You're welcome," he replied before blowing across the top of his mug and taking a small, slurping sip.

A sudden gust of wind rattled the windows and made both of them jump at the unnaturally loud sound. A moment later the sound of fat, wet snowflakes tapped against the roof and walls. "Sounds like the storm has started," Sam commented idly.

"I guess so," Josie said a touch wistfully before staring off into the fire.

Again Sam was reminded that although he had chosen this setting in which to spend his Christmas, Josie had not. She had family and friends back in Chicago who had been expecting her. Instead, she was effectively trapped there with him. And so far, he hadn't been a very hospitable host. Pangs of guilt assaulted him as he watched her melancholy expression as the light and shadow of the fire played across her face.

She had been right when she said they couldn't go on this way, at each other's throats, but yet, if he didn't maintain his shield of anger, what other protection did he have?

Sam glanced over at Josie again just in time to watch her licking the thin white line of marshmallow foam from her top lip with the tip of her tongue. His eyes homed in on that pink tip and his jaw actually went slack watching her, the visions brought to mind by that innocent action sparking a flash fire of desire within him.

- - -

As the snow started to fall, Josie turned to stare into the fire. Well, that was it. Her fate was sealed. Now, whether she liked it or not, she would be stuck there with Sam until the blizzard wore itself out. As her hands massaged the outside of the coffee mug she cradled in her palms, she thought again about Anita's warning. Was it indeed possible that Sam was simply trying to mess with her head? Could it be that his seemingly incongruous behavior actually had a purpose? What if he was just doing all this to hurt her? She idly took a sip of her drink and then licked the line of melted marshmallow from her lips.

No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't picture Sam as the type of man who would take revenge on her in that way. Maybe it was her own naïveté or even her own misplaced hopes talking, but the Sam Coulson she loved would not do such an awful thing.

Suddenly, she became aware of his eyes on her, and she turned to catch Sam gaping at her, a strange expression of almost…pain on his face. Concerned, she asked, "Sam? What's the matter?"

Heat flushed Sam's face from both the direction of his thoughts and the realization he'd just been caught staring. He stammered, "Uh, nothing. I was just…thinking, that's all." He set his cup aside and stood abruptly. "Excuse me," he said before walking off into the bedroom and shutting the door behind him.

Dumbfounded as to what brought on this new bout of strange behavior, Josie shook her head, thinking to herself, _I just don't understand what's going on with him. Not at all._

_ - - -  
_

In the bedroom, Sam stood for a long moment staring at his reflection in the mirror over the dresser. Desire and longing still surged through his body and he cursed himself for it. _Come on, Sam!_ he scolded himself, _Get a grip! Try to remember, at least for a minute, what it was she did to you! For God's sake, she was going to ruin your life for the sake of a story…don't let her get to you like this!_

But even as he was reminding himself of that fact, a part of him couldn't help but imagine the images of the two of them in the bed reflected behind him…and they weren't sleeping. The thought disturbed him. Rounding the edge of the bed, he sank forlornly onto the soft mattress, staring at the rough-hewn beams of the roof above him as if trying to find his answers written on them.

- - -

Sam awoke, surprised that he'd slept at all. But then, it did make sense, considering the disturbing dream he'd had the night before, not to mention all the physical labor he'd performed in cutting and moving all that firewood…

Sitting up, he noticed a distinct chill in the air and realized he'd shut off this room from the heat of the living room fire by closing the door. Standing and stretching the sleep from his limbs, he rubbed his eyes and then opened the door leading to the living room.

There before him lay Josie, curled into a little ball on the couch, sound asleep – just as he had been just a few minutes ago. Looking toward the fire, he could see it was little more than glowing embers now. Looking at his watch, he realized he'd actually been asleep for a couple of hours. It was after 5 o'clock and with the storm raging outside, it might as well have been midnight, it was so dark.

Taking a closer look at Josie's huddled form, he noticed that she was shivering. He turned and went back into the bedroom, grabbed a blanket from the stack piled on the floor and returned to Josie's side to gently tuck it around her and under her chin. He paused for a moment in the dim light to study her. She looked so peaceful in sleep. He reached out and brushed the backs of his fingers along the silky expanse of her cheek. She stirred slightly at his touch and then snuggled deeper into the warmth of the blanket with a sigh.

That sigh did funny things to Sam's insides; things he didn't want to ponder at that moment. Instead, he turned and started rebuilding the fire and restoring the heat to the little cabin.

Josie awoke to the smell of piping hot food and felt her stomach growl in protest. She hadn't eaten a thing since breakfast and suddenly realized she was starving. Cracking an eye open, it took her a moment to remember where she was…and why. As her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light of evening, she saw there was again a roaring fire in the hearth past her feet. Also, she was now covered with a blanket. _Funny,_ she thought, little more than half awake, _I was sure I fell asleep without one…_

Looking around a bit, she noticed that her empty cocoa mug was gone, along with the nearly full one Sam had abandoned earlier. Lifting her head slightly, she peered over the chair facing her and looked into the kitchen. By the light of a large hurricane lamp, she could see Sam, his back mostly toward her, whistling merrily to himself as he stirred a pot boiling on the stove. Everything around her seemed so calm and serene in the face of the howling wind outside.

Josie felt a pair of hot tears roll down her face as the bitter sting of regret ate at her. _This is how it should have been…_ she thought, before hastily wiping the wetness from her cheeks with the heel of her right hand. Gingerly, she sat up, shoving the blanket aside and trying to ignore her suddenly protesting muscles.

Pushing up to a stand, she wobbled for a moment before she padded softly over to the kitchen doorway. The table was set with two bowls, two spoons and two steaming mugs with a tea bag tag hanging out of each. Looking over toward the sink, she saw their mugs from earlier upturned in the drip strainer. Bemused, Josie noticed that Sam still had the dishtowel draped over his left shoulder. Leaning against the doorway, she cleared her throat and said, "Anything I can do?"

Sam spun around abruptly at the sound of her voice, accidentally brushing his right hand along the front of the hot iron stove. "No…ouch!"

Josie rushed forward, grabbing the hand that Sam was waving rapidly in the air, mimicking the motion of shaking down the mercury in a thermometer. "Whoa, whoa…let me see it. Are you okay?" Carefully, she cradled his hand between hers and turned it over to see a pink streak along the outside of Sam's hand.

Sam stared down at his hand between Josie's two petite ones, and suddenly the pain seemed to vanish. All he could seem to focus on was her thumbs soothing their way across his palm. "Uh…yeah, yeah; it's fine." He pulled his hand away, turning back to the stove so as not to show Josie how much her concern and touch had affected him.

Choosing to ignore his strange reaction, Josie peered around him toward the stove. "So…what are you making?"

Sam took that as a cue to stir the pot again. "Beef stew."

Josie smiled. "Your mother's recipe again?" she teased.

Sam smiled back. "As a matter of fact…"

Josie giggled and then commented more seriously, "I didn't know you could cook."

With a smirk, Sam replied, "I'm a man of many talents."

Sam's bantering answer stunned Josie. Speechless, her mouth hung open in shock for a moment before she abruptly closed it.

In truth, Sam was a bit surprised himself. He couldn't believe he'd just teased Josie the way he used to when they were teacher and student. It had felt so good; so natural. They used to have such an incredible rapport and it seemed whenever he wasn't consciously thinking about the way things were supposed to be now, he slipped back into the old habits. Except now they were both adults – and the stakes had changed.

Frowning to himself, Sam wrapped the dishtowel around the front of the pot, grabbed the pot handles through the terrycloth and turned to carry the tureen to the table. Josie backed away in order to make room for him, still shocked from their last encounter.

Once he'd set the pot on the hot plate, he tossed the towel in the direction of the sink and then pulled the chair in front of him away from the table, waiting.

Josie, not catching this gesture, started toward the other side of the table when she caught Sam's look. He looked at her pointedly, and then raised one eyebrow as if to say, _Uh, hello? Chair?_

Blushing in embarrassment (and with pleasure at Sam's gallant gesture), Josie sat in the proffered chair and waited while he helped her push the chair toward the table.

Sam walked around the table and sat, grabbing the handle of the ladle with one hand and her bowl with the other. Starting to serve, he looked at her over the bowl and said, "Say when."

Josie watched the grace of his movements, a bit dazed, until she realized he'd already ladled three scoops into the bowl. "Uh…when," she stammered, her eyes only making skittering contact with his before looking back down to her lap. _Oh_, she thought with distress, _my cheeks must be bright red by now!_

Sam reached across the table and set the bowl before her, taking the opportunity to study Josie's face. Even in the flickering light of the hurricane lamp, Sam could see the tinge of pink covering her cheeks, and he watched, rapt. He'd always loved how pretty Josie looked when she blushed, and…

_Stop it!_ Sam mentally scolded himself yet again, trying to focus on ladling stew into his own bowl. _You are no longer her teacher, she is no longer your student, and you are no longer in love with her!_

- - -

The first five minutes of the meal was taken in complete silence. Neither one spoke or even looked at the other. But soon, the quiet made Sam curious and he found himself peeking up at Josie whenever he'd bend his head to take another spoonful of stew into his mouth.

She looked pensive and sad, never looking up higher than her lap, until finally she felt his eyes on her and met his gaze. Quietly, she complimented, "The food is very good. Thank you."

Sam simply nodded his reply and looked back down to his soup bowl.

Josie took that as a hint that he didn't want to talk and resumed the silence. The air was thick with tension and it was driving her crazy. She almost wished he'd go back to ranting, raving, cursing…anything but this horrible, strained silence.

- - -

Finally, Josie finished her meal and gingerly leaned against the seat back with a groan. She wasn't sure why, but her muscles felt like one big knot and they were very sore.

Sam looked up from his second helping of stew at the sound. After studying Josie for a second, his eyebrows furrowed and he asked, "Are you all right?"

"I…" Josie was about to lie and say she was fine, but thought better of it. "Well, not really," she admitted. She reached back to massage her neck with her right hand. "For some reason, every muscle in my body is suddenly aching. I feel like I got run over by a Mack truck."

"That's not too far from wrong," Sam commented, narrowing his eyes and leaning back in his chair to study Josie more closely. "That accident you had was more than just a 'fender bender', Josie. You could have been seriously hurt."

"But I wasn't," Josie replied. "I don't understand… Why am I so sore? I wasn't before…"

Sam leaned his elbows on the table and leaned his chin a little on his threaded fingers. "Actually, it makes sense. It's a delayed reaction. Right after an accident, you have lots of adrenaline running through your system. It isn't until after that wears off that you feel the full effects."

Josie's eyes widened warily as the legs of Sam's chair scraped the floor as he pushed it back and walked around the table toward her.

When he was standing next to her, he leaned down and braced his hands on his knees so that he was at eye level with Josie. "How's the head? Is that worse, too? Any double vision? Dizziness?" he asked as if he were her attending physician.

In truth, Josie _did_ feel a bit dizzy, but that was only due to Sam's proximity. "Uh…no," she stuttered, feeling her face flush. "That doesn't seem to be any worse."

Pushing himself up to a stand, Sam nodded, satisfied that, at least for the time being, Josie's condition hadn't worsened more. "Well, we better take care of that muscle soreness now before it gets much worse. If you don't, tomorrow you'll be twice as sore. Take it from me…I've had many a painful muscle from my years of hockey and I learned this lesson the hard way." He turned and strode behind her and into the walk-in pantry and out of sight.

After a few sounds of rummaging and rearranging, Sam emerged, carrying an old-fashioned metal washtub.

Josie's eyes grew as wide as saucers. The implications starting to emerge in her mind made her speechless.

"Wh…what's that for?" Josie finally stammered, finding her voice at last as Sam set the tub down in the middle of the kitchen floor.

"You need to soak those muscles," he replied, not able to look at her for fear that his façade of cautious neutrality would slip. Letting out a long sigh, Sam continued, "There's no help for it, Josie." He opened his arms and gestured around himself. "It may not exactly be the ideal surroundings for this, but…like it or not…you need to take a bath."

- - -


	8. Chapter 8

Snowbound, Part 8  
By RocknVaughn

- - -

Yes, to anyone who has read this story before, herein starts the new chapters. I'll be taking a little more time between posts so that I can stay at least one chapter ahead with my writing. I sincerely hope the continuation of this story will meet your expectations. I'm certainly enjoying visiting with Sam and Josie again (especially when there's plenty of UST involved!). Please, especially with the new chapters, I'd really appreciate any comments or feedback you can provide. Thank you!

- - -

Josie paled and then blushed fiercely. She stuttered, "But…but…"

"No buts, Josie," Sam replied matter-of-factly. "Listen, I understand this isn't exactly ideal, but we need to conserve as much hot water in the water heater as possible. There's no telling how much longer we'll have power in a storm like this." Sam stopped for a moment and listened to the howling of the wind outside.

"Besides, just standing in the shower isn't going to work. You need to _soak_ the muscles. And seeing as the bathroom here doesn't have a bathtub, _this_" –Sam shoved the tub just slightly with his toe for emphasis—"is going to have to do."

Josie stared at the large metal tub for several seconds before finally nodding her head in agreement, unable to meet Sam's eyes. "I…I guess I'll go get my stuff together," she said finally, pushing herself to a stand and groaning when her muscles protested.

Sam nodded in response and as Josie left the room he started rooting through cabinets. He pulled out several large pots, setting them on the counter next to the sink. Then he opened the access door to the cast iron stove and reached into a small box next to it, pulling out smaller logs and tossing them onto the dying fire.

After spending several moments rearranging the wood with an iron poker, he set it aside, brushed off his hands as if satisfied, and stood, closing the access door. Walking back across the kitchen to the sink, he began filling the pots with water.

Suddenly, a fierce howling wind rattled the windows to the cabin. The electric lights went out and the humming motor from the refrigerator died.

"Shit," Sam swore to himself. "I didn't think we'd lose it this soon."

Then he heard Josie calling out to him, her voice slightly edged with panic, "Sam?"

Hurriedly setting the half-full pot back into the sink and turning off the water, Sam grabbed the lit hurricane lamp and hurried out into the living room, dimly lit only by the fireplace. "Josie? Where are you?"

"I'm in the bedroom," came the slightly muffled reply.

Rounding the corner and opening the bedroom door, Sam found a wide-eyed Josie standing stock still between the bed and the dresser, holding a fluffy, pink terrycloth robe to her chest. Sam barely noticed. "Hold on a sec," he said, setting his lamp onto the bedside table closest to the door. Grabbing the unlit hurricane lamp, he walked past Josie until he stood in front of the dresser across from the bed. He then fished around in his front left pocket, retrieving a small box of wooden matches. Pulling the lamp closer to him, he lit one of the matches and then bent down a little. "I'll have this lit for you in just a moment," he said, half to Josie and half to himself. Carefully sliding the match into the lighting hole, he touched the match head to cotton wick and pulled the matchstick out, waving it quickly through the air to extinguish it. The lamp began to glow and Sam fidgeted with the wick height knob, trying to get just the right amount of light.

After a moment, Sam raised his head and looked at Josie behind him in the mirror. "There you go…" Sam said, and then suddenly he couldn't remember what he was going to say next. Instead he stared at the reflection of Josie's bare shoulders, just visible over the robe she was clutching tightly to her chest. Momentarily glancing behind her, he could see a small pile of clothing at the edge of the bed, and he quickly realized that a lot more than Josie's shoulders was bare behind that screen of terrycloth.

Forgetting to breathe, Sam was spellbound by the way the soft light made her skin almost glow. It looked silky smooth and his fingers itched with wanting to touch it. A million thoughts raced through Sam's mind, each more erotic than the last…but every one of them started with his turning toward Josie and slowly lowering that robe…

Suddenly realizing the very dangerous turn of his thoughts, Sam turned from the enticing view in the mirror, gathered up his lamp from the bedside table, and turned to leave.

Josie's soft voice stopped him in his tracks. "Thank you," she said, barely above a whisper.

Not daring to turn around, Sam replied awkwardly, "It's… No problem. I'll just…go finish getting the water ready." Then he softly closed the door behind him.

- - -

After the bedroom door clicked shut, Josie let out a huge nervous sigh before turning her robe around in front of her and hastily slipping her arms into the sleeves. She reached for the belt and cinched it tightly at her waist with shaking fingers. Afraid her wobbly knees might give way, Josie plopped down on the edge of the bed, placing a hand over her pounding heart.

She had been in the midst of changing when that wind shook the cabin and then everything suddenly went black. In her fear, she had called out for Sam, forgetting for a second her state of undress. It wasn't until she heard his hand turning the doorknob that she came to and hastily grabbed for her robe on the end of the bed. She hadn't even had the time to put in on, so she ended up just holding to her instead.

By his nonchalant behavior when he'd entered the room, Josie had started to think that Sam wasn't even going to notice her predicament. But then suddenly his eyes widened with realization as he stared at her, his eyes alive and blazing with something she could not name. And she had felt helpless to do anything besides stare back.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Josie muttered to herself, "Lord, I don't know if I can do this…"

- - -

Back in the kitchen, Sam was just as shaken by what he had experienced in the bedroom moments before. Placing the lamp back onto the kitchen table, he stomped over to the sink and turned the hot water knob violently, causing water to splash all over his front when the stream ricocheted off the side of the pot still sitting in the sink. Turning the faucet arm so that the water was pouring into the pot, he stood back and shook the water from him, muttering a string of curses under his breath.

Damn it, he didn't _want_ to feel this overpowering attraction to Josie. Sam tried to work up his anger again, but found it was no longer insulating him from his other emotions. Sighing, he ran a damp hand through his hair and then hoisted the water-laden pot out of the sink and carried it over to the stove. Steam hissed from the evaporating droplets that clung to the outside of the container as it touched the hot stovetop.

In those few minutes while Sam covered the cast iron stove with pots of assorted shapes and sizes, he tried desperately to think about something else… anything besides Josie. He tried listening to the shrieking wind and the furious drumming of snow against the sides of the cabin. Nothing seemed to work. Every time he closed his eyes, he could imagine Josie's eyes meeting his in the mirror of the bedroom. It had taken every shred of willpower he'd possessed then not to pull her into his arms and kiss her until they were both senseless.

"What the hell is the matter with me?" he asked himself as he slumped into a chair at the end of the table, facing the door. He'd thought he was over Josie. He'd thought that over time, she'd have lost the power to affect him. He'd thought that he could forget about her, put the whole sordid affair behind him and move on with his life.

Granted, he still searched the Sun Times daily to see if she'd written a new article… but that was just curiosity, he'd told himself. Sure, he hadn't wanted to date anyone since her, and he was still mad as hell with her…but surely he was _over_ her. Or so he'd thought until a few hours ago. From the moment he realized the injured woman in the car was Josie, his world had been completely turned upside down.

Everything he'd believed he felt about Josie Geller before now seemed woefully inaccurate.

- - -

"Okay, Josie, snap out of it," she coached herself. "It's just a simple bath. No big deal." The vision of Sam's face as he stared at her in the mirror flashed before her and in her heart she knew that nothing having to do with Sam Coulson could ever be simple.

"Come on, Jos," she said aloud, trying to calm her accelerated pulse. "Don't get carried away here. The only reason he suggested the bath was because of your sore muscles. You're his burden until the storm lets up and he doesn't want to have to deal with the consequences if you get worse, that's all."

Nodding, she slipped her feet into her fuzzy slippers and stood. Yes, that was it. Sam was just trying to do the right thing. That didn't mean there were any emotions attached to it. And his look… Well, she just must have misunderstood it. He must have suddenly realized she was not dressed and been embarrassed. After all, Sam had made it quite clear thus far that he had no use for her. He didn't even want to be in the same room with her more than had been completely necessary, and she guessed she couldn't blame him. Still, she couldn't help but wish that there were some way to break through to him, to get him to give her another chance.

"Forget it, Jos," she muttered, pulling the knot around her waist tighter and opening the bedroom door. "That's just wishful thinking."

She rounded the corner and walked into the kitchen to find Sam pouring heated water from the pots on the stove into the metal tub. Without looking up, he explained, "One more set of these pots and there should be enough for your bath." He carried the now empty pot to the sink and refilled it with water.

Josie watched the haze of steam rise from the tub and then smiled hesitantly as Sam turned to carry the refilled pot to the stove. "Thanks," she said hesitantly.

Sam shrugged, still facing the stove. He didn't want to look at her right now. He didn't know if he could handle it.

Josie looked from Sam's broad back to the open doorway of the kitchen, staring at the flames in the living room fireplace flutter from drafts coming down the chimney. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her and felt her cheeks burn bright red. Nervously, she twisted her hands in front of her and then played with the ends of her bathrobe belt, staring at the space on the floor between her fuzzy slippers. "Uh…Sam?"

At the note of hesitant question in Josie's voice, Sam turned. Tilting his head down a little, he tried to see her face and realized she was blushing badly and she was fidgeting. Trying not to think about how endearing that quirk of hers was, he asked in a neutral tone, "What?"

Scuffing one of her slippers back and forth across the floor, her eyes remained glued to it. "Uh…well…there's no…um, door to the kitchen."

Glancing at the doorway for a moment, he lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "And?"

In response, Josie blushed even more. "Sam…" she barely spoke, embarrassed. "I…I can't do this."

"Can't do what?" Sam asked. "If you're having second thoughts about being here with me, I'm afraid it's too late for that."

"No…" Josie glanced up for a split second before quickly lowering her head again. "How can I bathe in here if I can't…. if you can…?" Mortified at how inane she must sound, Josie just stopped talking altogether, gesturing slightly to the doorway.

Finally, Sam grasped Josie's meaning. "Josie, I wouldn't intrude on your privacy. Come on," he said in reply. "I thought you knew me better than that."

Josie's beseeching eyes connected with Sam's, begging him to understand. "I didn't think you would… It's just that…" She let out a huge sigh before whispering, "I _can't_."

Unbidden, a memory surfaced… A conversation he'd had with Josie in the early days of her undercover assignment.

_Class had just ended. As the students filed out, he called out, "Josie? Can I see you a moment?"_

_Shyly, she'd nodded and moved to stand before him. He'd waited until the room had emptied and then said, "Josie, I'd like you to read your paper for the class on Monday."_

_Instantly, she blushed and stared at her sneakers. "N..no, I can't," she stammered._

_He had bent his head lower, trying to get Josie to look at him. "Why can't you?" he asked softly._

"_You wouldn't understand," she said miserably._

_Gently, he reached out and tilted her head so that she had to meet his eyes. Then he crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back against the front of his desk, crossing his legs at the ankles. "Try me."_

_She'd closed her eyes for a moment, as if to gather her courage and then admitted, "They might laugh at me."_

_His heart had gone out to her in that moment. How could such a smart, beautiful young woman like Josie have such self-doubt? Even then, he could see she could be so much more than she envisioned for herself. "Josie, no one will laugh at you. Your paper was wonderful."_

_Josie just shook her head, embarrassed with his praise._

"_Yes, Josie… it was. You are very talented. I'd really like the class to hear it." He'd smiled at her then and he thought that maybe she was weakening._

"_I **can't**…" she insisted softly._

_Placing a hand on her shoulder, he felt…something…pass between them. Shrugging the feeling off for the moment, he locked his gaze with hers and urged, "You **can**." When she started to protest, he didn't let her. "Yes, you can. Just pretend they aren't there. Pretend you're just reading it to me. Surely, **I'm** not that scary?" he'd joked._

_His reward had been a glorious smile that reached her eyes even as a blush colored her cheeks again. "No," she admitted softly. "You're not scary."_

_Encouraged, he rubbed her shoulder slightly saying, "Good, I'm glad to hear that." Then he said, "Josie, I promise it won't be as bad as you think. And I'll be there with you the whole time. Nothing to worry about, okay?"_

_She'd nodded. "Okay."_

After that conversation, Sam remembered sitting at his desk through most of the next period under the guise of grading papers, but he didn't get much done as his thoughts kept straying back to Josie. Even then, there had been something about her…

And now, almost nine months later, long after there was any need for Josie to pretend anything, she was still shy and embarrassed. He had always considered her innocence an act, but now he wasn't so sure. What could her motive possibly be to act that way now? Sam didn't want to admit it, but her sweet shyness was affecting him now the same way now as it had then: it made him want to protect her.

Kindly, he smiled slightly and said, "Hold on a second. I'll be right back."

Confused, Josie watched Sam as he left the kitchen and crossed the living room. He knelt before the bench along the far side of the room, lifted up the seat, and moved things around, obviously searching for something.

Taking a step or two forward until she was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, she asked, "Sam, what are you doing?"

But Sam acted as if he didn't hear her and kept on rummaging. After another moment he exclaimed, "Aha, I _knew_ it was in here…" before pushing items hastily into place and shutting the top of the storage bench. Then, grasping a small bag in his left hand, he sprinted to the bedroom, muttering something unintelligible.

A moment later, Sam emerged again, a bed sheet flung hastily over his shoulder. He crossed the threshold of the kitchen, barely brushing Josie as he passed.

Baffled and slightly shaken from the jolt of Sam's touch, Josie stepped back into the kitchen again and looked beyond Sam to the package and sheet he'd deposited on the table in favor of pouring more hot water from the pots into the tub. It read 'Four-Ply Waterproof Nylon Cording, General Use'. "Huh?" Josie said, not realizing she'd said it aloud.

Sam turned and looked over his shoulder at Josie. The obvious confusion on her face was so comical he almost laughed. Instead, he deposited the pot he held into the sink, disappeared around the corner into the pantry for a second, and emerged with a handful of wooden clothespins.

Depositing them on the table as well, he literally had to walk around the dumbstruck Josie to get to the package of nylon cord. As he stood with his back to her and opened the package, Josie finally found her voice. With a touch of nervous apprehension, she asked, "What are you going to do with that rope?"

An amused smile tugged at the corners of Sam's mouth again. "What do you _think_ I'm going to do with it?"

Josie was afraid to guess. "I…"

Finally, Sam gave in to his mirth and chuckled out loud. Shaking his head, he decided to put Josie out of her misery. "Josie… I'm setting up a makeshift screen for you… across the doorway. You know, so that you _can…_ and I _can't_…?"

As Josie's mouth formed a perfect O of surprise, Sam chuckled again and then turned toward the doorway to begin his task. Removing a copper-bottomed pan from a hook on the wall, he tied one end of his cord to the eyehook and then crossed the doorway to connect the other end to a coat hook that was screwed into the wall at about shoulder height. A long tail of extra rope hung down from the hook and pooled in a little pile on the floor by the doorjamb.

Josie backed up to be out of Sam's way as he turned and grabbed the sheet and clothespins. He efficiently worked from one end of the cord to the other, securing the sheet he was holding to the cord with the wooden fasteners. Turning around, he gestured toward his handiwork, "Voila! How's that? Better?"

Josie blinked back tears and nodded.

Slightly self-conscious about Josie's emotional response, he lowered his eyes and then said, "Oh! You need some towels. Hold on a sec." Pushing the sheet aside, Sam ducked under it, emerging a minute later with a couple of fluffy towels and Josie's toiletries bag. He explained, "It was on the bathroom counter when I was getting the towels so… Well, here," he finished abruptly, handing it to her. He put the towels on the table, grabbing the dinner dishes and hastily dumping them in the sink. "I'll do those later," he said more to himself than to Josie. He busied himself putting more wood inside the stove and then grunted as he bent over to pull the metal tub closer to it. The water sloshed back and forth inside, bringing to Sam's mind thoughts of what it would mean the next time he heard those sounds.

"There," he said, trying to regain some equilibrium. Standing up he gestured to the tub. "You should be nice and warm there by the stove." He nervously backed up a step. "Feel free to take as long as you want," he stammered. "Besides, the longer you soak those muscles, the better."

Josie nodded, suddenly full of nervous tension. She couldn't seem to look away from Sam's gaze. "Okay," she agreed lamely. "I will." Then softly she added, "Thank you, Sam."

"Sure," he replied, pushing the sheet up and walking under it once again. Then standing on tiptoe to see over the sheet, he added, "If you need anything, call me. I'll be right here in the living room, all right?"

"Okay," Josie said again, and watched as he lowered himself so that all she could see was Sam's hair sticking up over the top edge of the sheet. A sad smile crossed her features at its endearing unruliness. She waited until he moved away from the door and she heard him start poking at the living room fire before she began to undress.

- - -


	9. Chapter 9

Snowbound, Part 9  
By RocknVaughn

- - -

I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter; I hope you enjoy it as well.

Thanks again for taking the time to review. They mean the world to me and keep me inspired. Thanks!

- - -

Gingerly, Josie undid the tie at her waist and shrugged the thick terrycloth off her shoulders, moaning with pain from the movement. Even knowing that Sam was a gentleman and would never take advantage of their situation, Josie couldn't stop herself from crossing her arms protectively across her front. Her hands rubbed briskly up and down from shoulder to elbow partly from nervousness and partly in an effort to keep warm.

Hesitantly, Josie raised her gaze and stared intently at the makeshift screen that Sam had concocted. Once convinced that she couldn't see through it (and therefore, neither could Sam), she relaxed her hold and let her arms slide back to their sides. Still in her fuzzy slippers, Josie scuffed back toward the table and bent over it to unzip her toiletries bag. Rummaging through it for a moment, she located a hair clip from the bottom and placed it between her teeth as she used both hands to sweep her golden hair from her neck to pile it into a haphazard bun. Then, holding it in place with one hand, she retrieved the clip and held her hair in place.

As a particularly fierce wind whistled down the chimney and around the little cabin, a chill ran down Josie's back, making her shiver for a moment before she edged herself closer to the steaming tub. Josie gave one last glance toward the bed sheet blocking the doorway and then slipped off one slipper and stepped gracefully over the side of the metal tub.

A hiss of half-pain, half-pleasure slid between Josie's teeth in reaction to the near-scalding water that encased her leg up to her calf. After taking a moment to acclimate herself to the water temperature, she slid the other slipper off and stood fully inside the metal tub. Placing both hands at the small of her back, Josie bowed backward, trying to stretch the kinks out of her stiff spine and neck before slowly lowering herself into the hot water.

Gradually, carefully, Josie slid her body into the water, leaning back against the side and arranging her limbs so that she was surrounded by heat to just under her neck. As she leaned her head back against the side of the tub, a sigh of pure bliss bubbled from her lips. _Ah…_ Josie thought drowsily as her eyes slid closed, _Now **this** is heaven!_

_- - - _

After slipping under the sheet to escape to the living room, Sam crossed the room and immediately began to tend to the dying fire. It took only a moment to rearrange the wood in the rack and to add new pieces to get the flames to leap back to life. With a satisfied nod, Sam put the poker back in its holder next to the hearth and settled back down on the sofa with his long-forgotten tome of Jane Eyre.

Sam was barely two paragraphs into the chapter when he heard a pained groan issuing from the direction of the kitchen. Despite his determination to remain aloof and detached from the situation, deep-seated worry drew his eyes like a magnet in Josie's direction. Instantly, his eyes locked on the makeshift screen blocking Josie from his sight and then he cursed under his breath.

In Sam's haste to put space between he and Josie (not to mention stop thinking about the fact that Josie was about to be naked only feet away from him), he didn't consider the placement of the lantern providing light to the kitchen. He'd left the lantern on the kitchen table…and Josie's tub was positioned between it and the sheet.

So, while he'd put up the sheet in order to provide Josie more privacy, it had, in effect, become the screen upon which Josie's perfect silhouette was cast by the light behind her.

Although Sam knew the polite thing to do would be to avert his eyes, his body was just not cooperating with what his mind told it to do. Instead, he gaped stupidly, held rapt by the sensuousness of Josie's innocent movements behind the curtain. He watched as she slowly lifted both arms to pin her hair up, and his mind filled in all the missing details: the flush in Josie's cheeks from the warm steam wafting upward from the tub, how her soft, pale skin would glow in the lamplight, how soft tendrils would escape the clip atop her head to gently caress the sides of her face and neck…

Sam's stomach muscles clenched and he felt the beginnings of a smoky desire building within him; watching Josie's motions in real life was more erotic than any dream he'd had of her months ago. Disgusted with his own lack of self-control, Sam rolled violently onto his side and forced himself back to the written words on the pages in his hand.

That budding concentration was broken seconds later when he heard another hiss of reaction from behind the curtain. As if beyond his control, Sam's eyes slid back upward in time to watch Josie's silhouette lift her other foot over the side of the tub. His mouth dropped open as he watched her turn to the side so that her entire profile showed in glorious detail, and when Josie stretched backward, catlike, showcasing her rather ample bosom, the book Sam had been holding fell to the floor with a soft thump from his slack hand.

Thankfully, Josie's figure turned and slowly sank from view as he heard water sloshing around the tub, displaced by her movement. Sam closed his eyes as if to block it out, but that only brought his own internal vision of Josie to the backdrop of his eyelids. Sam turned abruptly to lie on his back and opened his eyes to stare at the innocuous ceiling, trying to rein in his wayward mind…not that it helped. Because the moment Josie's soft, contented sigh issued from her lips, Sam's pulse jumped to double-time and the front of his jeans suddenly felt two sizes two small.

Springing up from the couch as if he were on fire, Sam propelled himself to the far side of the room to stand in front of the bookcase…the only part of the room from which he could _not_ see the kitchen doorway. He rested his forehead against the cool wood of a partition in the bookcase, closed his eyes, and tried to regulate his breathing by shutting out his rather sudden reaction. After a moment, he thought to himself, _Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! _in time to hitting his head softly against the bookcase, hoping to knock some sense back into himself.

Turning around and slumping his body against the wall of books, Sam thought, _Oh God…I think I'm in hell._

_- - - _

After a few minutes, Sam was able to get reasonable control over himself and he returned to the couch under the guise of doing more reading. However, after reading the same passage seven times in a row and _still_ not comprehending it, it became evident that reading was a lost cause.

No matter how hard Sam tried, he could not tune out the sounds of water sloshing about in the tub and the occasional soft moan or sigh, and that was proving to be very hazardous to his mental health.

Making a decision, Sam crossed the room, put on his coat and grabbed his hat and gloves. Then he walked over to stand in the kitchen doorway, taking care to keep his eyes averted on the off chance he might actually be able to see through the sheet. Softly, Sam cleared his throat. "Uh, Josie?"

There was a second's pause, as if perhaps Sam had caught Josie dozing. Her voice was thick with relaxed bliss when she answered, "Yes?"

The husky quality of Josie's voice made Sam's stomach flip-flop. It immediately brought to mind visions of lazy mornings after late nights, tousled hair and flushed cheeks, and…

Sam shook his head as if to clear it and continued, "You doing okay in there?"

Another long pause confirmed Sam's suspicions that Josie might be falling asleep in the tub. When she finally answered, it was little more than a murmur. "Mmmmhmmm…."

Again, unbidden pictures of golden hair splayed across his pillow and her warm body curled up next to his popped into Sam's mind, forcing him to take deep steadying breaths and start mentally naming the current Mets team roster…in reverse alphabetical order. "Look…" he replied once he'd regained control again, "I'm going to go out and shovel a path to the wood pile and check on the generator, okay?"

This time, Sam heard the water in the tub slosh, as if perhaps Josie had sat up, and her reply was clearer, stronger. "Okay."

Sam stuffed the fur-lined hat on his head to cover his ears and pulled the collar up on his coat before slipping his hands into his gloves and heading outside into the relative safety of the blizzard.

- - -

As Sam stepped over the threshold into the outside, a biting westerly wind slapped across his face and sandblasted snowflakes against his skin. He almost relished the stinging onslaught because it finally gave him something to think about besides Josie naked in the tub (or anywhere else he'd been imagining her).

Sam leaned his forearm on the shovel handle and surveyed his surroundings. Already there were several inches of snow on the ground, and with many hours of the storm to go, not to mention the strength of the winds blowing off the lake, Sam wondered if trying to shovel now was an exercise in futility. Still, he knew that he'd need to bring in more wood from the pile if he and Josie had any intention of keeping warm for longer than the next 12 hours. (He had to force his mind not to contemplate _other_ ways in which he and Josie might keep each other warm…)

Shaking his head ruefully, he placed his hands on the handle of the shovel and pushed aside his first shovel full. If nothing else, Sam reasoned, the physical exertion would help cure his ills.

_His ills…_ Pausing in his shoveling long enough to take a glance backward through the window into the warm of the cabin, Sam snorted at the huge understatement.

Josie. His continued reaction to her puzzled him. He just couldn't seem to stop thinking about her in ways he shouldn't. Yet, if Sam's vehement reactions to even Josie's most innocent moments could have been explained away as a simple case of lust, he would have been satisfied. After all, Josie Geller _was_ a beautiful woman… Add to that being trapped together for several days in a tiny three-room cabin and that explanation would make sense. However, (and the pace of Sam's shoveling increased as he admitted this truth to himself) deep down, he knew that his attraction had seeds in emotions he refused to name. And it was that fact that haunted him.

Sam wanted desperately to be impervious to Josie's sweet, sexy-but-shy allure. Yet, just as it had been months before, it was still his Achilles heel. Her manner woke every possessive, protective urge in him, worming its way under any shell or defense he tried to muster up. Even his shroud of irrational anger had provided little defense against Josie's charms today. And this was only the beginning. It was quite possible that he and Josie would be trapped alone here for several more days.

The lack of willpower he'd shown thus far in his dealings with Josie only served to infuriate him. Damn it, he'd thought he'd learned more from his last experience with her than this! What Josie was doing to him at present—invoking that same shy innocence—had been his undoing when she was at South Glen South.

Josie Geller had used his feelings for her as a tool to gain status at her job. That's all he had been to her: a means to an end. And when she hadn't gotten the story she had planned, she'd used him anyway by writing the kind of feel good, underdog-trying-to-succeed story (with him at the center of it) that never failed to win over people's hearts.

Everyone's except _his_, that was. At least he'd been able to hold out that much and not make a _complete _lovesick fool out of himself.

As Sam's shovel clanked against the bottom of the woodpile at last, he wondered again about Josie's behavior. After all, what did she have to gain by trying to entice him now? Her story about him had come and gone and she'd obviously gotten the promotion she'd wanted. Shaking his head as he cleared snow off the top of the pile, Sam stopped trying to make sense of her actions. Obviously, she must have _some_ agenda, even if he didn't yet know what it was.

_Well, whatever it is, _Sam told himself, determined, _it's not going to work. I won't be played for a fool twice._

_- - - _

With an armful of wood and a new determination in place, Sam pushed open the door to the cabin and placed the snow-dusted wood in a holder near the hearth, where they could safely defrost and dry. Without even bothering to shut the door between trips, Sam made quick work of filling the holder with logs. He pulled the shovel back inside, knocked the snow off his boots and then quietly shut the door.

Pulling off his gloves and hat and placing them on the hearthstone before the fire, Sam pulled back his coat sleeve and was surprised to discover that almost two hours had passed.

Glancing around, he half expected to see Josie curled up under a blanket on the sofa reading a book. But she wasn't. Nor was she in the bedroom, as Sam discovered by toeing the bedroom door ajar. That only left…

Quietly, Sam approached the kitchen and called out softly, "Josie?"

There was no answer. Sam tried again, a little bit louder this time. "Josie?"

But there was still no answer.

While realistically, Sam knew that most likely Josie had simply fallen asleep in the tub, a sliver of irrational worry laced through his veins. After all, he'd been warned about the possibility of a concussion, and with the other aches and pains that had come on so suddenly, it was possible she could have had an adverse reaction while he was outside. It was this concern that finally won out as he carefully pushed the sheet aside and stepped under it into the kitchen.

- - -

Sam could not possibly have prepared himself for the sight that greeted him. Josie lay shoulder-deep in the water, her head softly resting upon the side of the metal tub rim. Indeed, as Sam had imagined earlier, soft tendrils of golden hair had slipped from the comb atop her head to damply curl around her cheeks, framing her face, which was beatific in slumber. Miniscule beads of perspiration slicked Josie's shoulders, neck, and face, giving her skin an ethereal glow in the dying lamplight.

The only saving grace was that, from the angle at which Sam viewed the scene, he could see little more than scant traces of what lay beneath the water. Instead, the golden light from the lantern dappled the surface that rippled slightly with each breath Josie took. She could not have appeared more innocently sensual at that moment if she had tried.

Sam's breath caught in his throat. He wanted to escape, wanted reclaim his senses, but he couldn't move; he couldn't wrench his eyes from the scene before him. Josie was like a golden water goddess just emerged from the deep, her siren song reaching deep into his soul, pulling him toward her against his will.

Heeding her call, Sam took one step closer, then another. He just couldn't help himself. In his mind, he could already feel the silk of Josie's skin against his palms, the warmth of her kiss against his lips. Before he'd even realized it, Sam was kneeling beside Josie, gently tucking the unruly strands of hair on the left side of her face behind her ear before whispering a ghost of a kiss along the sensitive skin of her jaw line.

As a soft sigh slipped past Josie's lips, Sam reached upward with one hand to pull her head closer to him, to finally give in to the aching need to kiss her properly that had plagued him for months…

A sudden awareness of what he was doing doused Sam in icy waves, as he froze in mid-motion, horrified. Rocking himself backward onto the balls of his feet, he put some much-needed space between himself and Josie, letting his breath leave him in a rush. Had he not just vowed to himself moments before that he would not fall prey to Josie Geller's plans, whatever they were? Had he not promised to remain impervious to her "innocent" charms?

Pushing himself back up to a stand, Sam suddenly recognized the trap he'd almost fallen into. He could now clearly see how Josie had planned to use this scenario to her advantage, using his concern for her welfare to wile him into giving in to his desires for her.

_Well, it's not going to work, Josie…_ Sam thought wryly. _This time I've got you figured out._

Pushing aside the strung-up sheet, Sam exited the kitchen and crossed the living room. _If you want to toy with me, Josie Geller, then go ahead and do your worst. I'm ready. Let the games begin._

And on that thought, Sam wrenched open the front door to the cabin, pulling it as far back as it would go on its hinges…and then slammed it with all of his might.

The almighty bang echoed around the walls of the tiny cabin. As Sam heard the telltale sounds of sudden splashing coming from the direction of the kitchen, he knew his plan had worked; Josie was now most definitely awake.

Smiling with relish, Sam chuckled under his breath as he thought to himself: _Sam Coulson – 1, Josie Geller – 0._

_- - - _


	10. Chapter 10

Snowbound, Part 10  
By RocknVaughn

- - -

**Author's Note**: I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for the nice reviews, and also to comment on a few of them. Seeing that this story is primarily about the UST between Sam and Josie, in my opinion, a quick resolution to that tension would kill the story. Also, I didn't feel it would be realistic for Sam to just sit down and talk to Josie about his feelings. He's still very much in love with Josie, and hates that he is. In fact, he doesn't even want to admit that to _himself_, never mind Josie. He's still very hurt by what he perceives she's done to him and isn't ready to give up his anger. And he certainly is too afraid to trust anything Josie has to say for fear that she'll use him again. So, while Sam in the deepest recesses of his heart really wants the Josie he fell in love with to be real, he's not going to acknowledge that fact to her, nor take significant risks to determine if _his_ Josie may actually exist.

On Josie's side, she's still hurt and insecure about Sam's intentions and feelings for her and isn't going to want to open up to him so he can stomp on her heart for a 2nd time. While she's more honest with herself about her feelings, she doesn't trust herself or Sam with them.

That being said, the story's not going to be just a "he thinks, she thinks" situation, either. There will be interactions and confrontations between the two; I just think they won't get into anything too heavy until the cabin fever starts to kick in…and then, watch the sparks fly!

Okay, without further ado...here's the next part. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!

- - -

Josie was having the most wonderful dream. She felt as if she were floating, as if a gentle summer breeze were carrying her along like a fluffy, white cloud. Wrapped in delicious warmth, a permeating feeling of safety and contentment surrounded her.

Then, as if her senses were tuned only to him, she could feel Sam moving closer to her. She could not see him, but she could hear the rustle of his movement, smell a hint of his cologne, and feel his eyes burning her.

Yet, instead of making her nervous or embarrassed, it intensified the feeling of warmth and protection. She felt, rather than heard his approach. Soon, she felt his presence hovering like an angel beside her. The unique smell of him wafted on the breeze all around her. Her lips parted in anticipation as she felt, finally, the touch of Sam's fingers as they tenderly brushed away hair that tickled her neck, tucking it safely behind her ear.

Josie's heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her chest as she felt Sam's heavenly lips caressing her jaw. A blissful sigh slid from her lips. She felt his warm breath upon her throat; he was moving closer, closer…he would surely kiss her, at last, _at last_…

As if clouds suddenly obscured the sun, Josie felt chilled, bereft. For some inexplicable reason, Sam had disappeared. His hands, his lips, his breath were gone, leaving behind only an aching need. She wanted to reach out to Sam, to beckon him back, but it was as if he were made of smoke. There was nothing to grasp onto; he'd simply vanished.

Her mind cried out for him, _Wait! Come back!_ before a loud crash brought her abruptly to consciousness.

- - -

As the loud banging noise shook the kitchen, Josie literally startled awake, moving the now tepid water in the tub so violently that some of it sloshed over the side onto the floor.

Placing a shaky hand over her pounding heart, Josie called out unsteadily, "Sam? Sam, is that you?"

Josie heard his footfalls drawing nearer and then stop just outside the doorway. "Yeah, it's me," Sam replied. "Sorry about the door…the wind caught it when I was coming in. Hope I didn't wake you."

There was something slightly off about Sam's voice that nagged at Josie, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Wrapping her arms around herself to stave off the sudden cold sinking into her from the cool water and even cooler air, her teeth chattered slightly as she stammered in reply, "Uh….no, no. I'm fine." She paused for another moment, but when she didn't hear Sam retreat, she added, "Uh, I think…I'm done in here, so if you wouldn't mind…" Josie trailed off into embarrassed silence. She didn't want to voice how shy she felt, knowing she was naked mere feet from him.

Luckily, it appeared that Sam got the hint. "Okay. I'm gonna go stoke the fire. There's a bit of a chill in here."

Josie breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Sam retreat into the living room. Grabbing either side of the tub with each hand, she carefully pushed herself up to a stand. Gingerly, she twisted this way and that, testing her muscles, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the worst of her aches had vanished.

Quickly, she stepped out of the tub and into her fuzzy slippers, unfolding the large bath towel to dry herself off.

- - -

Walking away from the kitchen doorway, Sam felt a sliver of guilt creep into his self-satisfied demeanor. Josie sounded rattled (and cold), and he knew he was responsible for that. Trying to focus less on his troubled conscience and more on what _she_ had been trying to do to _him_ with her innocent little "falling asleep in the bathtub" trick, he picked up a couple of new logs and stoked the fire.

He heard the cascade of water as it slid off Josie's body and closed his eyes firmly against the temptation to look in her direction. He'd already caused himself enough trouble responding to her little peep show as she'd gotten _into_ the tub; he wasn't going to fall for it again as she got out.

Still, even over the hissing of the damp wood on the fire, Sam could hear the towel flick open, could hear the sound the cotton made as it rubbed against Josie's body. Josie's _naked_ body…his mind corrected before Sam reined in his rogue thoughts once more. Rubbing a hand over his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, Sam decided that the sooner Josie Geller was fully dressed, the better off he'd be.

- - -

Josie slipped her arms into the thick terrycloth robe and wrapped the lapels across her, tying the sash tightly across her waist to keep it closed. Sighing at the warmth it provided, she tried to keep her mind from her dream as she bent over to clean up the water puddle she'd made.

Once she was sure she'd cleaned up the mess, she laid the towel across the back of one of the kitchen chairs, scooting it over with a scrape across the floor toward the stove so the towel could dry. Then, squaring her shoulders and pulling the bathrobe sash even tighter, she pushed aside the sheet and stepped out into the living room.

Sam was still on his knees before the fire, leaning forward on his hands to blow softly upon the kindling, coaxing it to light. Josie couldn't help but admire how his wonderful jeans molded themselves to his toned thighs and bottom.

As if sensing her eyes on him, Sam turned his head to look at her; a touch of an amused smile graced the corners of his mouth. "Everything all right?" he asked as his eyes assessed Josie from head to toe.

Josie could feel the heat rising in her cheeks both from Sam's visual assessment of her and that he had caught her staring at him. She stammered, "Oh, um, yeah…fine." Mentally rolling her eyes at how stupid she'd just sounded, she added more calmly, "The bath was a big help. Thank you."

"Good," Sam murmured, suddenly lost in Josie's green eyes.

Their eyes remained locked as moments ticked by, unnoticed by either of them. Finally, Josie's eyes darted away from Sam's face, looking at everything _but_ him. "I…uh, I'm gonna go get changed, if you don't mind," she said, staring at the rough hewn rocks of the hearth just over Sam's head.

With a nod, Sam pushed himself into a squat and then stood, brushing his hands together to remove dust and ash from them. "Okay," he replied, "then I'll just go and take care of that tub while you do that."

Josie nodded shyly, and entered the bedroom, closing the door safely behind her before letting out a long breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Sam seemed more irresistibly attractive to her with every passing moment. It was getting difficult just to be in the same room with the man without staring at him, or worse, wish things could be different between them. Sam had made it painfully clear that would never happen. Josie almost hoped Sam would get angry with her again, if only to bring her back to reality for a while.

More and more, Josie thought that perhaps Anita had been right…there was no way she could be around Sam without getting her heart broken…again. Unfortunately, with the blizzard now in full force, it was too late to do anything about it. Both she and her heart were now trapped; Josie could only hope that when it was all over, she'd find a way to put Sam Coulson behind her.

- - -

Sam stared for a long moment at the closed bedroom door. Even after vowing to hold out against Josie's charms, he was finding it more and more difficult to do so. Letting out a long, weary sigh, he headed toward the kitchen to clean things up.

Sam pushed aside the sheet across the doorway to let himself through and then turned to systematically remove the clips holding it in place before folding the sheet and putting it aside. Then he busied himself with stoking the fire inside the stove and refilling the guttering lantern with kerosene until it blazed brightly again, casting his enlarged shadow upon the wall behind him like a specter.

Standing with his hands on his hips, Sam pondered the best way to dispose of the water in the tub. Unheeded, the vision of Josie sleeping neck deep in the water reemerged, causing Sam to curse under his breath. Bending over, he tried to expend his excess energy on heaving the tub backward toward the sink, but it wouldn't budge. Instead, Sam had to bail out several potfuls before he could move the metal tub.

Finally, Sam was able to lift it and carry it to the double sink, where he poured the remaining water out in a rushing cascade. That done, he tucked the tub back into the alcove where he'd found it and wearily plopped himself backward into the chair that Josie had pulled close to the stove, leaning both elbows on the back while he rested his chin in his hands.

Sam stared idly out the window over the sink, watching as the wind whipped snowflakes against its surface, listening to the tapping sound they made against the glass. He wondered how long the storm would last. He hoped that when he woke up in the morning, the worst of it would be over, but somehow Sam knew in the pit of his stomach that wouldn't be the case.

Fate obviously had other plans…and it seemed they were at cross-purposes to his. All he'd wanted from his trip to the cabin was a chance to _forget_ Josie, to finally put her behind him so he could move on with his life. Instead, she was here in the flesh right under his nose, and there was little doubt that, after this, he would _never_ be able to get her from under his skin.

As if to prove his point, the steam from the drying towel blasted Sam's senses, leaving behind just a trace of Josie's perfume in his nostrils. Immediately, his body responded: his heart skipped a beat and then began to drum against his ribcage in anticipation. _Damn it!_ he thought angrily, yanking the offending cotton material off the back of the chair and whipping it across the room away from him.

- - -

Once Josie's heart stopped hammering and she caught a few calming breaths, she sat down on the bed, picking her wristwatch up off the bedside table. She was surprised to discover it was ten past nine, and that she'd been in the tub for about two hours. Shrugging slightly, Josie attached the watch to her wrist and then dug into her overnight bag to retrieve her pajamas. Nuzzling her nose into the soft flannel of the button down top, she sighed. At least she'd had the foresight to pack warm (and non-revealing!) nightwear. This way, she could at least be seen outside the bedroom without blushing right to her roots.

_Not that it mattered_, she thought. It was obvious that Sam wanted nothing more than to be free of her as soon as possible. And, considering how much trouble she was having controlling her emotions around him, Josie was starting to feel that way, too.

- - -

Soon, Josie was covered head to foot in pink flannel, sitting cross-legged on the bed as she chewed thoughtfully on the end of her pen cap. Spread-eagled before her was her trusty journal; the one place where she felt she could truly be honest about herself, her feelings, and anything else of note in her life.

It had been a Christmas present from Anita last year…a gift to help Josie, then a reporter-wanna-be, hone her writing skills. Of course, that was before…before her big break… _Before my big heartbreak…_ Josie amended mentally.

While she had used her journal in the months prior to her assignment at South Glen South, from the moment she'd walked through the doors of that school, the book had become an essential part of her day. Looking back through its pages now with the 20/20 vision of hindsight, it was obvious to Josie that she had been falling for Sam Coulson from the very first day she'd met him. The pages were littered with anecdotes he'd used in class, things he'd told her, comments he'd written on her papers, how he'd made her feel. When she couldn't admit her feelings to anyone else, even to herself, she could pour her heart out to these pages; safe in the knowledge that whatever she wrote there would remain her secret.

To her journal, she'd confessed her attraction to Sam and lamented his having a girlfriend (not that he'd ever be attracted to her—Josie Grossie—anyway…). To her journal she confided how excited she'd felt when Sam had rescued her on the Ferris wheel, when he'd confided to her his fears about commitment to his girlfriend, and had complimented Josie in a way that had apparently even surprised him. And oh, the look they'd shared high above Chicago! It had been enough to make her breath catch and her heart beat double-time.

_That had been the beginning_, she knew, brushing aside a tear as she flipped through the pages, reminiscing. _That moment changed everything._

As inexperienced as Josie was in the ways of men, and as incredible as it seemed, somehow she _knew_ in that moment that her feelings for Sam weren't altogether unrequited. The weeks that followed emphasized that fact over and over again. However, she could never determine if Sam just cared for her as a favorite student, or if there was something more going on.

It hadn't been until Prom night, until their dance together, that she'd _known_, known that what Sam felt for her went way beyond the boundaries of teacher and student. That knowledge both thrilled and terrified her: She was thrilled that her feelings were being returned by such an incredible man, yet she was terrified because Gus had indeed been right about Sam's feelings. Gus wanted Josie to betray Sam at the very moment he was at his most vulnerable—when he'd finally laid his heart out on the line for her—not that she had had any intention of doing so; she just hadn't decided _how_ she would go about protecting him yet.

But, first things first: She needed to tell Sam the truth, to let him know that all was not as it seemed, and tell him she felt the same for him. Then she had to pray he'd understand. From the earnest, heartfelt look in Sam's eyes, Josie honestly believed he _would_ understand, would forgive her for the necessary disguise that had placed an invisible barrier between them for the last two months.

But then, her future and her past had collided. Her selfless act of saving Aldys from humiliation by the popular kids had been more instinct than conscious choice. Josie had seen herself in the girl and had been determined not to let history repeat itself. She'd succeeded in saving Aldys from Josie's own fate, but paid a terrible price in the process. Just when Josie thought she'd finally found happiness, fate's wheel had spun cruelly, wrenching Sam from her forever.

Josie let out a deep sigh, flipping forward to the first blank page and wiping her damp eyes against her sleeve. No good could come from wanting what she couldn't have; that was one lesson she'd learned well enough. Her pining for Sam Coulson was pointless, and the sooner she accepted that fact, the better off she'd be.

- - -

Weary from a long afternoon and evening, not to mention a treacherous trek home in the middle of a blizzard, Will Parker let out a grateful sigh as he pulled open the back door to his cozy home in downtown Oswego. Shoving the door closed against the storm, Will stood in the entryway, shrugged off his heavy slicker and stomped the snow off his heavy-duty boots.

From around the corner, his wife Meredith called, "Will? Is that you, honey?"

A mischievous smile touched the corners of his mouth as he hung up his slicker and sat on the bench next to the door to remove his boots. "No, it's the milkman," he replied playfully.

An auburn-haired beauty rounded the corner and met Will lips first as he stood with arms open to receive her greeting. Ruffling her fingers through his wavy hair, still wet with melting snow, she confided in little more than a whisper, "Well, in that case, you should get out of here…my husband will be home soon." An impish grin grew against Will's lips.

After pulling his wife closer and kissing her properly, Will responded, "I think I'll chance it." He linked his arm around her back as they ambled into the living room. "Where are the kids?" Will asked lightly.

"Just tucked them into bed," Meredith replied. "They're probably still awake if you want to say good night…"

Will detached himself from his wife's embrace long enough to enter his daughters' room and give an affectionate kiss and hug to each of his half-asleep 6 year old twins.

Once he'd returned to the living room, Meredith asked him, "Are you hungry? Did you eat?"

Will plopped himself wearily into his favorite overstuffed armchair and motioned for his wife to come sit by him on the arm. "No, I grabbed a sandwich at the office." As his wife's fingers slid through his hair softly, Will found his mind straying back to the accident earlier that day, and the strange behavior of his friend.

Pressing a kiss to her husband's temple, Meredith asked, "Where are you?"

Shaking his head lightly as if to clear it, Will pulled Meredith's hand down to his lips and pressed them against her palm. "Oh, I was just thinking…"

"Uh, huh…" Meredith coaxed, "And?"

"Well, there was an accident out on Lake Drive this afternoon."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"Well, yes, but not seriously hurt. Actually, the woman was quite lucky…drove right over the embankment and hit a tree. Blinded during that snow squall."

"But…" Will's wife motioned with her hand for him to continue, knowing instinctively that there was more to the story.

"Well, it was the weirdest thing. You remember my friend Sam Coulson?"

"The one from Chicago? His parents have a place down by the lake, right?"

"Yeah, that's him. Well, he was there when it happened, pulled the young woman from her car."

"And that's strange?"

"No, what's strange is that he knew her…knew her from Chicago."

"Was she up visiting him or something?"

"No, that's what was so strange…she just _happened_ to be driving back from Green Bay and drove off the road right in front of him."

"Okay…" Meredith said, nodding her head. "I'll admit that's a little weird."

"Yeah. But what was even _more_ puzzling was their reaction to each other. There was this undercurrent of, oh, I don't know…I guess I'd call it _tension_ between them."

"And old girlfriend, perhaps?" Meredith offered.

Will shrugged. "I don't know. Her name sounded familiar to me, yet I can't remember Sam ever mentioning her." As almost an afterthought, he mentioned, "She's a reporter for the Sun Times…I thought maybe you'd have heard of her…Josie Geller?"

Meredith sat up straighter on the arm of the chair, her motion arrested. "Wait…did you say Josie Geller?"

Will gave his wife a curious glance. "Yes, I did…why?"

A knowing spark glimmered in Meredith's bright blue eyes. "Petite, blonde, and cute?"

"Yeah…How'd you know?"

"Hold on a second…I'll be right back." Meredith hurried from the living room to their bedroom and returned a moment later carrying a folded up newspaper. Unfolding the page and holding it before Will's face, she asked, "Is this her?"

Awe and disbelief colored Will's face as he stared at a black and white version of Josie. "Yes! But…"

Answering Will's unfinished question, Meredith replied, "My sister Janice _loves_ her! She sends me her articles all the time. But I'm surprised you don't remember her, too."

Will's puzzled look spoke for itself.

"Don't you remember about, oh…six or seven months ago? About the undercover reporter from Chicago who fell in love with a teacher while she was on an assignment at a high school? She waited on a baseball field for him to show up and forgive her for something she'd done, but he never came?"

Now that Meredith had mentioned it, Will vaguely remembered seeing the story on the news. "Yes, now I do."

"That was _her_!" Meredith enthused, pointing at Josie's picture again. She quickly scanned the article, rereading what Josie had said about her mystery man. Then her eyes narrowed shrewdly.

"Will? Isn't Sam Coulson a teacher?"

"Yeah…" he replied, confused, clearly not following his wife's train of thought.

"_At a high school in Chicago?_" she asked pointedly.

"Uh, huh…" said Will, still not getting understanding what she was getting at.

Laugher bubbled from Meredith's lips at the perplexed look on Will's face. "Don't you get it? Sam's the _teacher_!"

Immediately the denial sprang to Will's lips, because the idea seemed so outlandish, yet, he couldn't deny that it seemed to put Sam's strange behavior in an understandable perspective. Finally, he admitted, "Maybe."

"Maybe nothing!" Meredith crowed. "So, what happened after the accident?"

Will couldn't meet her eyes as he admitted, "Um, well…Sam sort of…offered to put her up at his place while her car was getting fixed, but…"

Meredith giggled and hugged Will around the neck. "You see? He still loves her. It's _definitely_ him."

"…_But_…" Will cut in, trying to put a damper on her excitement. "He didn't seem at all thrilled about the prospect."

"Yeah, but _he still offered_," Meredith rebutted. "Did she accept?"

"Yes, she did."

Meredith hugged the newspaper to her chest and let out a most girlish squeal. "Oooh, it's gonna happen…I _feel_ it!"

"What's going to happen?"

"He's going to forgive her."

"Who? Sam?"

Meredith nodded gleefully.

Will thought back to that afternoon and reassessed Josie and Sam's behavior around each other. His voice laced with doubt, Will said, "I don't know…" before finally amending, "Well, maybe…_if_ they don't kill each other first."

- - -


	11. Chapter 11

Snowbound, Part 11  
By RocknVaughn

- - -

To take his mind off of all things Josie, Sam finished straightening up the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove. Maybe some tea would help settle his jangled nerves, he thought. Walking over to the kitchen table, Sam fiddled with the lamp wick, the flame inside the globe leaping higher as the added light brightened the dark corners of the room. Then he reached over and turned on the radio, hoping to hear a weather report, silently praying the news would be good.

Much to his chagrin, what Sam heard was quite the opposite: _And now, your WNFL Weather-on-the-Threes… The strong weather system moving through our area is now forecast to stall out over Lake Michigan late this evening, lashing most of Kewaunee and Mantiowoc counties with high winds and heavy snow, creating near blizzard conditions for up to the next 24 hours. Additional lake effect snow could leave some coastal communities buried under two to three feet of snow by Christmas morning. Governor Jim Doyle has already declared a State of Emergency for the affected areas and has the National Guard on standby for what could be a record-breaking storm._

_Great, just great, _Sam thought irritably, switching off the radio with more force than necessary. _As if things weren't bad enough already…now the storm's going to last for another whole day…at least._ That prospect did nothing to raise Sam's spirits. Every moment spent in Josie's presence just made him more and more confused.

Logically, Sam knew that the innocent act Josie used was most likely just that: an act used to elicit certain emotions from him. She'd used it to perfection last spring, and perhaps felt she had something more to gain by playing that hand again.

However, he still hadn't determined a viable purpose for Josie to continue that charade. And moreover, a small part of him (granted it was the sappy, completely illogical, believing-in-miracles part) hoped against hope that he'd been wrong about her and that maybe, just maybe, Josie really _was_ what she seemed.

But then, if _that_ was the case, then his leaving her standing alone on that ball field was reprehensible. And Sam just couldn't bring himself to believe he could have been that wrong about her twice.

Sam rubbed at the wrinkles etched into his forehead. This going around and around in circles was getting him nowhere. Perhaps Josie was right: maybe just putting the past completely behind them and just acting like courteous strangers was the best way to minimize the impact of being together.

At this point, he was desperate enough to try anything.

- - -

At first, it was difficult for Josie to get the words to come. For several minutes, she sat staring at the blank pages before her, not knowing what she could possibly write that would encompass all that she was feeling.

Finally, Josie simply gave up on trying to be eloquent and allowed her stream-of-consciousness to take over.

_December 23, 1999_

_Today started out like any other day. This morning my life was normal, boring, albeit a bit lonely. But I'm used to that now._

_You'd think that, after my assignment at South Glen, I'd be accustomed to sick twists of fate; after all, who would have ever guessed I'd find my true self in the midst of being undercover? Who would have ever imagined I'd finally find my soul mate? Who would have guessed that I could have won him and lost him in the space of a minute?_

_So, how could I have guessed in the midst of my very average morning that the events of today would change my life? Less than twelve hours later, my life is in what I could only call chaos…the kind of emotional chaos that only Sam Coulson could bring._

_Seven months after Sam walked out of my life, seemingly forever, fate deposited him back in it…if only for a while. Here, on a back road in rural Wisconsin, hundreds of miles away from our respective homes, our lives collided again…almost literally._

_Losing control of my car during a whiteout of snow, I almost hit his car. He was the only witness to the accident and pulled me to safety. That could have been the end of the encounter, but, for some reason that I still have yet to fathom, instead Sam opened his home to me in the form of a small cabin his family has in this quiet, sleepy town of Oswego so I could wait locally while my car is being repaired._

_Oh, and did I mention we're now snowed in together during a blizzard?_

_And add to that his mystifying behavior. One minute he's biting my head off, and then next he's doing something so sweet and thoughtful that it makes me want to cry. It's confusing and exhilarating and exasperating and painful to be around him again, because I know that when it's all over, he'll vanish from my life once more, leaving a gaping hole where my heart once was._

_Yeah, like I said, complete and total chaos._

- - -

The whistling kettle broke Sam from his reverie. Pulling the kettle off the stove and setting it aside, he stuck his head into the pantry and retrieved a glass canister nearly full of teabags of different flavors. Tucking it under his arm, he walked across the room to the drip strainer next to the sink and plucked his favorite mug from the tray. Depositing both items on the table, Sam turned to grab the handle of the kettle and was about to pour the steaming water when he realized suddenly that he hadn't heard nor seen Josie in quite some time.

Setting the kettle down on the table abruptly, he made a beeline for the bedroom door, which was tightly shut. Battling against the internal struggle over how prudent it was for him to be concerned about Josie, he raised a fist and rapped on the door with his knuckles.

Trying to keep the worry he felt from his voice, Sam said, "Josie? You all right in there?"

- - -

The jarring sound of knocking on the bedroom door literally caused Josie to jump. After hearing nothing but the whistling wind for many minutes, the noise seemed out of place somehow. Placing one hand over her pounding heart, Josie deposited her pen into middle of her journal and flipped the cover shut over it.

Taking a shuddering, calming breath, Josie replied, "Yes, I'm fine."

There was a long pause before Sam's reply. "Can I come in for a minute?"

Josie peered down at herself. In her flannel pajamas, fuzzy slippers and fluffy bathrobe, she was about as covered as she could possibly be, and didn't see the harm in letting Sam see her. "Sure."

Sam pushed open the door to stand just inside the jamb. "I know you were probably changing in here, but I wanted to remind you that right now, the only heat we have is from the hearth in the living room. You leave this room shut up and it'll get cold in here awfully fast."

A shiver shook Josie's shoulders as if she'd only just noticed the chill because Sam had mentioned it. "Sorry," she replied, "I didn't even think of it."

Sam shrugged one shoulder noncommittally. "Hey, it's okay, I just wanted to remind you." After a moment, he found himself asking, "I was about to make myself some tea to warm me up. Would you like some, too?"

Josie stared at Sam for a long moment, blinking back a sudden shimmery haze of tears. There he went, being all sweet again; she didn't know how to react when he was like this. Softly, she replied, "That would be lovely, thank you."

Not trusting his own voice when Josie looked at him this way, he nodded and lowered his eyes. When the speechless moment passed, Sam answered, "We have several different kinds…why don't you come out and choose one?"

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Josie murmured, "Okay."

As Sam vacated the room, Josie quickly stored her journal back into her overnight bag, straightened the lapels of her bathrobe, and then followed him out to the kitchen.

As she entered the room, Sam was just pouring boiling water into two mugs perched on the table. Looking up with a smile, Sam nodded toward the glass jar closest to her. "Feel free to look through there. My mom stocks several different kinds."

Gingerly popping the lid open, Josie sifted through the tea bags, turning the tags once in a while to read their contents. After a moment, she happened across a specialty flavor that caught her eye: Michigan Black Cherry. Letting out a tiny squeal of delight, she removed the bag from the canister and placed it into her cup of steaming water, smiling as the smell of cherries wafted around her.

Sam's interest was piqued by Josie's reaction and couldn't help but ask, "So, what kind did you decide upon?"

Josie lifted the mug between both hands and took a deep sniff and sighed again. "Black cherry," she answered with a contented smile. "I Ilove/I cherries…" she confided.

"Really?" Sam replied, and then said without thinking, "Then you should taste my Mom's cherry pies; they're to die for."

As soon as they'd left his mouth, Sam wished he could have snatched the words back, because they inferred a familiarity with Josie that he didn't want to encourage.

Josie saw the look of immediate regret cross Sam's face and it stabbed at her heart. Every time she thought things were getting just a little bit better, she got another reminder that things would never be the same between them. With a wistful smile, she responded, "I'll bet they're wonderful."

A tense silence stretched out between them and Josie started to babble nervously. "I've always loved cherries…a real fiend for them. One summer, my parents took Rob and I to the National Cherry Festival up in Traverse City, Michigan. There were so many pies, and cobblers, and cakes that we couldn't decide what to buy. And we got to tour an orchard and pick fresh cherries right off the trees…Now Ithat/I was heaven. They were so plump and sweet that the juice would run right down your chin! Did you know that Michigan grows 70 percent of all the cherries grown in the United States?"

Josie's cheeks turned as red as the cherries she had spoken of when she realized how stupid she must sound. Staring down into her mug, she dipped the tea bag up and down a few times and wished the darn floor would open up and swallow her whole.

Despite himself, Sam found himself smiling. He'd always found Josie's tendency toward nervous chatter endearing. Trying to ease her discomfort he responded with interest, "Really? I didn't know that."

At Sam's comforting tone of voice, Josie peeked a look at him through her lashes. With a tiny, embarrassed smile, she said, "Yeah…but I'm sure you didn't really need to know that."

"It's all right," Sam assured her.

With a shrug, Josie felt sure that Sam was just humoring her. She concentrated on spooning sugar into her tea and swirling it around. Once she'd completed that, and Sam had spoken nothing further, Josie took that as her hint that he didn't really want her around. Carefully removing and disposing of her teabag, she picked up her mug with both hands and wandered toward the kitchen door. "Well," she hedged, shifting her weight from foot to foot, "I guess if you don't mind, I'm going to take this back into the bedroom and get ready for bed."

Josie turned to go, but stopped short when she felt Sam's hand on her arm. "Wait."

Josie took a deep, calming breath, schooled her features into something resembling calm (because, with Sam's hand on her arm, she felt anything but) and turned around. "Yes?"

"Josie, I'd like to talk to you for a moment…if you don't mind."

Josie raised her eyes to Sam's and immediately wished she hadn't, because it was happening again…that thing that always seemed to happen when their eyes met…that feeling of vertigo, of unsteadiness, of being slightly off-balance. "O..okay," Josie stammered, trying to look away from Sam's gorgeous green eyes, and finding herself unable to.

Sam blinked several times and tried to compose himself. Still, the green of Josie's marvelous eyes were hard to ignore, especially when they held such questions in their depths. Finally, he forced himself to look away, toward the direction in which he wanted Josie to take. "Why don't we sit down at the table?"

Still, Sam hadn't removed his hand from her and Josie felt her arm tingle and her heart pound in response. Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded and walked back toward the table, pulled out a chair and sat.

Sam crossed to the opposite end of the table and sat down as well, taking a moment to sip at his tea to soothe his jangling nerves. Earlier, he'd thought that offering the olive branch to settle things between them temporarily was a good idea; now he wasn't so sure. While putting their past aside made sense logically, Sam sensed the impossibility of it before he even voiced it. Every time he looked at Josie, all he could see, hear, and feel were the memories. How the heck was he supposed to put that aside when it was all he had?

_You just need to stay focused_, his logical mind encouraged. _You were able to hold out eight months ago; you can do it again now._

Before he could change his mind, Sam plunged forward, "I've been thinking about what you said earlier…about us trying to get along…and I think you're right. We _should_ try harder to get along. Holding grudges isn't helping the situation. What happened back in May is water under the bridge now, and we should both just let it go. We're both adults; surely we can get along for a couple days. When this is all over, you'll go your way; I'll go mine, and we can forget any of this ever happened, all right?"

Josie didn't know if she wanted to laugh or cry. When she'd told Sam she thought they needed to talk, she'd meant that they should talk things out; discuss each other's side of things to make more sense of what had happened between them.

Sam wanted to smooth things over, but he also wanted to pretend that what they'd shared had never existed. The pain that she felt squeezing her heart made it hard to breathe. She didn't know what was worse: the knowledge that he could just put her out of his mind as if she'd never meant anything to him, or the knowledge that in a few days' time, he'd be gone from her life again anyway.

Still, if he could be this casual about it, then darn it, so would she…even if it killed her. Forcing her lips into a courteous smile, Josie responded, "Sure, if you think that's best."

The sting of polite rejection Sam felt at her words surprised him. Why should it matter to him that it appeared so easy for Josie to put him aside when it was practically killing him to do so? He should have seen it coming. But irrationally, Sam had hoped that Josie would show more emotion, that maybe she'd crack and tell him how she _really_ felt about him. Apparently, this was her answer.

Bitterness made his words clipped, short. "Yes. I think that's best."

Josie's eyebrows scrunched together as she studied the sudden tension in Sam's face. His mercurial mood changes at breakneck speed were enough to give her whiplash. He'd said he wanted to put the past behind them, but when she agreed, he didn't seem happy with that.

Unsure of herself, yet unable to just let things lie, Josie asked tentatively, "Sam, I gave you what you wanted…why are you upset with me again?"

"I'm not upset," Sam immediately denied.

Josie sat back in her chair, crossed her arms across her body, and gave Sam a droll look. "Yeah, and I'm Queen Latifah," she challenged. "Would you please tell me what this is _really_ all about?"

"Nothing."

Shaking her head, Josie stated the obvious, "Look Sam, I don't think this is getting us anywhere. Ignoring the situation won't make it go away. I think we need to actually _talk_ about what happened, work _through_ it…not brush it under the rug."

Sam stood up abruptly, his chair skittering backward away from him. If she'd _really_ had feelings for him, she'd had her chance to make things right…_many_ times, in fact, in the time he'd known her at South Glen and in the 8 months since. But she never had. And _now_ she wanted to talk about it?

Josie stood also, and put out a pleading hand toward him across the table. "Sam, I told you…I can explain. I can explain everything if you'd just listen to me."

"Why? Why should I listen? So you can fill my head with more lies? I've had enough of your lies to last _two_ lifetimes."

Fat tears hovered on the edges of Josie's lashes, but she blinked them away angrily. She'd be damned if she'd let Sam see that he'd made her cry. "What can I do to convince you? What can I say to make you understand?"

Sam stalked to the kitchen doorway, giving her a derisive look over his shoulder. "Nothing. Not one damn thing." After a moment's pause, he declared. "I've had enough. I'm going to bed."

Josie stared at Sam's retreating back as he stomped across the living room to the bench seat, shoved it open, and yanked out a rolled up sleeping bag. Quickly, she straightened her head before Sam could turn around and catch her gawking. Placing both hands on the table to steady her, Josie quietly allowed the tears she'd been holding back to fall.

- - -


	12. Chapter 12

Snowbound, Part 12  
By RocknVaughn

**A/N**: Sorry it's been so long since I've updated! Between real life issues taking over and my temporary obsession with American Idol 5 (Soul Patrol!), I haven't had much of any free time to write. However, this story has been on my mind and I am continuing to work on it...even if sometimes it's only in my head. I'll certainly try to update more often than say, every 5 months! (grin) Thanks to you all for sticking with this story. It means a lot!

- - -

_So much for a truce_… Sam mentally fumed as he yanked the sleeping bag out from under the bench seat and stormed toward the hearthrug at the foot of the stone fireplace. _How dare she? How dare she act as if **I** were the one to wrong **her**? She was the one who lied to me!_

Sam unrolled the bag and flicked it open so hard that the sound—_snap!_—echoed around the walls of the small cabin.

As he lay the bag down facing toward the hearth, Sam could _swear_ he could feel Josie's eyes burning a hole through his back, but just as he was about to turn as ask her what the _hell_ her problem was…the feeling subsided. Letting a long breath hissing out from between clenched teeth, he bent down, grabbed the metal poker on the hearthside and began stoking the fire with a vengeance he had no other outlet for.

- - -

Josie grasped onto the edge of the rough-hewn table as if it were a lifeline while she allowed her misery to silently drip off her cheeks and nose, plinking in tiny splashes against the wooden surface. She could hear Sam's furious movements from behind her, could feel the waves of his anger and resentment rippling toward her, echoing through her.

Josie knew she'd been foolish to even hope that she and Sam could be civil to each other under such forced circumstances. It was blatantly obvious that at that moment, Sam Coulson wanted nothing more than to be rid of his unexpected houseguest.

_But,_ her mind insisted, _if he didn't want you here, why then did he invite you?_ Manners or not, there had been absolutely _no_ obligation for Sam to house her during this storm. Indeed, the more she thought about his invitation, the more it puzzled her. The thought brought her back to her conversation with Anita. Was it possible that she was right? _Could_ Sam be deliberately playing with her emotions to get back at her for what she'd done to him?

Closing her eyes, her memory easily conjured up the look on Sam's face as his eyes connected with hers through the window. His look was so…raw, so…unguarded that she found that theory hard to swallow. Sam Coulson would have to be some kind of acting savant to pull that look off without meaning it. Especially considering how quickly he hid those emotions once he realized she could see them.

Indeed, every time Josie thought she'd seen a hint of a kinder emotion on Sam's face, he'd gone out of his way to hide it behind a mask of anger or impatience, which led Josie to believe that those emotions were real.

Yet, every attempt Josie had made at getting to those fleeting emotions had been met with resistance and rejection: rejection that caused her a little more pain each time. Already her heart was heavy and aching from the blows it had sustained in the past few hours…and it was possible she could be in Sam's company for several more days.

Josie shook her head sadly and wiped the wetness from her face with the sleeve of her thick terrycloth robe. While she still felt that the fight for Sam's heart was worth undertaking, she didn't know how much more pain she could endure before it became too much to bear.

She stared at the full mug of tea in front of her for several moments, watching the steam rise from it in swirling tendrils. Her appetite for her favorite tea now dissipated in the wake of Sam's anger, she turned on her slippered heel and padded from the kitchen, leaving the cup on the table, untouched.

- - -

Meanwhile, Sam had yanked the zipper of the sleeping bag down so quickly, it sounded like a swarm of angry bees. He threw himself between the padded covers, grabbed a pillow from the closest armchair and punched it more ferociously than necessary to soften the material inside for his head to rest upon. Shoving the battered square under his head, he flopped roughly onto his side so that his broad back now faced the kitchen doorway. He had no interest in seeing or hearing Josie for the rest of the night…indeed, for the rest of his life!

Still, his senses instantly picked up on Josie's movement behind him, even though the slippers on her feet made her footsteps nearly silent. Sam's entire body tensed and his heart pounded as the footsteps stopped for a long moment. He could feel her gaze burning a hole through his back, but he steadfastly refused to acknowledge her presence. Finally, the feeling of being watched left him and he heard Josie's padded feet shuffle off into the bedroom.

He let out a long breath and rolled over onto his back, staring at the crossbeams on the ceiling without really seeing them. Without Josie present as a target, his anger gave way to pain, which gave way to painful memory.

- - -

The first month after Josie's revelation had been torture for Sam, because there were still four weeks of school left to teach. Just walking the same halls and teaching in the same classrooms that had once had Josie in them was like one, long unending nightmare. It seemed as if a memory of her was lurking around every corner. There didn't seem to be anywhere in the school that didn't, in some way, remind him of her.

It was the worst, of course, in his senior Lit class; the one that Josie had once been a part of. It was hard staring at the empty seat in the front row and not think of her. But moreover, it appeared that Aldys, at least, had realized that he was the teacher that Josie had written about, because whenever he made eye contact with her during class, there was always a hint of reproach in her eyes.

For a while, he'd thought he'd been imagining Aldys' reaction, but after their last day of class, there could be no doubt.

- - -

_As the bell rang to signal the end of the last class for his seniors, he wished them all good luck as they began to whoop and file noisily out of the room. However, Aldys Wells took her time gathering up her things. As the room fell silent, she finally swung her huge backpack onto her shoulder, but instead of heading toward the door, she made a beeline for his desk. He looked up at her expectantly._

"_Yes, Aldys? Can I help you with something? Was the reference I gave you all right?"_

_A look of momentary surprise flitted across Aldys' face before her inscrutable look returned. "Oh…yes, it was fine, thanks." She paused momentarily and then plunged ahead, "Actually…I have something I wanted to give you."_

_He'd cocked an eyebrow in surprise as he smiled. "Really? That's nice, Aldys…but I assure you it's not necessary…"_

"_Actually, I think it is. You see, I think you've made a terrible mistake."_

_Sam's heart began to pound, but his voice remained steady. After all, it was quite possible this had nothing at all to do with Josie. "What do you mean?"_

_Aldys leaned in closer, and her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "I think you **know** what I mean, Mr. Coulson."_

_His smile faded as her topic of discussion became crystal clear. "Aldys…I know she was a friend of yours, but I'm afraid there are some things you just don't know about her."_

"_Respectfully sir, it's **you** who doesn't know what they need to know about Josie. Did you even **read** her article?"_

_A panicky, cornered feeling pressed against Sam's chest, making it hard to breathe. Putting on his sternest teacher façade, he began, "I really don't think that's any of your…"_

_But Aldys' steely voice cut him off mid-sentence. "So, you did then." She shook her head sadly, almost as if she pitied him. After a moment, she continued, "You know, Mr. Coulson…I always looked up to you. You made learning fun, really interesting. But more than that, you seemed to be someone who knew things, who understood life…and love. That knowledge seemed to infuse all that you taught. But if you could willingly throw away the great love of your life without even giving it a chance…then it seems I misjudged you."_

_Sam stared at Aldys for a long moment, speechless. The phrase "great love of your life" kept replaying over and over inside his head. Finally, he sputtered, "But…wait a minute…I didn't…"_

_Aldys didn't bother waiting for his reply. She just waved a hand to stop his protest and said firmly, "Goodbye, Mr. Coulson," before dropping a sealed envelope on his desk, turning on her heel, and walking out without looking back._

_On the envelope was simply written "Sam"…in Josie's handwriting. Dumbfounded, he sat for several moments holding it between both hands, debating as to whether he should open it…but then his next class started filing in, and he quickly stowed the incriminating letter in the bottom drawer of his desk. And that's where it stayed…unopened in the bottom of the drawer._

- - -

That moment had undoubtedly been one of the worst, but things got significantly better once school had let out for the summer. Instead of being surrounded by memories of Josie, he was able to hang out with friends and family and try to put her out of his mind.

Soon, he found himself enjoying poker nights and softball games with the guys…and they all tried to set him up with their sisters, cousins, and female friends. Sam found this part tedious, but he knew his friends were only trying to help. After all, they didn't even know about Josie…they just thought he was pining after his breakup with Lara.

He did meet a few women…even enjoyed being around a couple of them. But still, as nice as the women were, he was never inspired to call for a date.

Truth be told, in the middle of the night, when he'd lie awake thinking about it, he realized that subconsciously he'd been comparing the women to Josie (the Josie he'd fallen in love with, not the one her now knew her to be)…and none of them had compared.

His family had also been very supportive. It helped that they knew about Josie, because it gave him an outlet when he needed to talk. Usually his outlet was his sister Abby, but occasionally he'd share a cup of tea with his mom and discuss it with her.

By the first week of the new school year, Sam felt that he'd gotten a handle on his emotions and had begun to put Josie behind him. The sting he once felt walking through the halls of South Glen had faded to an occasional dull ache, and even his classroom felt more comfortable now that the Senior class she'd been a part of had graduated.

Life had pretty much gotten back to normal…except for his almost nightly dreams about Josie…and his irrational daily search of the Sun-Times for her articles and clipping out every one for his scrapbook.

And now, a full seven months after his last encounter with Josie, Sam had really thought that, after his solitary Christmas, he'd truly be able to put his feelings for Josie to rest and move on with his life.

Now that seemed not only impossible, but the mere thought laughable.

After only a few hours of being in Josie's company, it was painfully clear that Sam wasn't nearly as close to putting their past behind him as he'd once thought.

- - -

As Josie crossed the threshold of the kitchen into the living room, she couldn't help but look in Sam's direction. Sam was already deeply buried in his sleeping bag, back to the room. Again, she felt buffeted by waves of anger emanating from him; so strong they actually made her shiver. In her mind, she pleaded for Sam to roll over, to acknowledge her in some way, to give her some opening to try to make amends. But it was if he knew what she wanted and was determined not to give in.

Wearily, Josie sighed, dropping her gaze to her twisting hands, and rounded the corner into the bedroom. All she wanted was to flop onto the bed bury her face in the pillows and cry herself to sleep, but with Sam just in the other room and her not able to close the door to separate them, she couldn't. She refused to show him just how much his rejection hurt her.

Instead, she grabbed her only solace—her journal—and pushed herself back against the headboard of the bed so that she couldn't see the living room. Shrugging her shoulders out of the robe, she balanced her book against her bent-up knees and began to write.

_December 23rd, 1999 (continued)_

_This day insists on going from bad to worse. The storm howls around us in earnest; we lost power here several hours ago._

_As I sit here alone in this huge bed, I still can feel his presence from the next room…Sam's, I mean. It's as if I have some sort of tuner that never loses his signal. Yet, tonight, even though he lies mere feet from where I am, he's never felt so far away, so unattainable._

_So many times this evening, Sam's mercurial moods flew from one end of the spectrum to the other at the speed of light. I should have just given up trying to follow in his wake, but I guess I haven't learned very much from my heartaches to date. I can never seem to stop when it comes to Sam Coulson._

_My soul needs him like my lungs need air. A part of me has been missing, and has been ever since that warm May evening when Sam walked out of my life. Yet, for months I've been unaware of its absence, tried to ignore its existence. It took being near him again for me to realize it._

_It's fragile, bent, bruised…unalterably ruined. But even having back this broken, damaged part of me is better than not having it at all._

_At least twice tonight, I tried to get Sam to talk to me, **really** talk to me, to talk about what happened between us and try to make peace with it. But both times ended badly. It's as if Sam is afraid to open up to me even the tiniest amount, afraid to place any trust in me at all. I know that is my fault that he doesn't dare trust: seven months ago he gave me his trust, and I hurt him with it. But if I could only get him to **listen**…then perhaps he might just understand the impossible situation I'd been in. Maybe he'd know that I wasn't trying to hurt him, to use him…but instead was trying to protect him from what Gus wanted me to do._

_Oh, I don't know why I keep wishing for things that can never come true! Sam will never open up to me again, let alone love me…I think his behavior tonight has been proof of that. Any time he showed any vulnerability at all, he was quick to pull back behind a shell of anger._

Instead of wishing he would return my love, I should be wishing for a little sanity…and the ability to hold what's left of myself together until we can be free of each other once more.

_The only problem is: when he goes, he'll take that piece of me with him again…and I'll never get it back. Once he's gone…I'll never be whole again._

- - -

Brushing aside a tear that trickled down her cheek, Josie set her journal and pen on the bedside table and leaned over to blow on the wick of the hurricane lamp, plunging herself into darkness. Sliding down the bed to rest her head on the pillows, she tucked the covers under her chin and stared at the black.

Once her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, she could see the faint flicker of light dancing across the wood of the open bedroom door, reflecting the fireplace on its smooth surface. Straining her ears, she could just about make out the soft crackling of the burning logs in the next room. And every once in a while, she'd hear Sam's sleeping bag rustle as he turned or rolled over.

_He's probably already dead to the world,_ Josie thought wryly, _yet, even though I should be exhausted, I can't sleep._

After several more restless minutes, Josie huffed a sigh of impatience and sat up once more. Throwing aside the covers, she stood, removing the remainder of her bathrobe, laying it along the bottom of the bed out of the way. Then she grabbed one of the pillows and plumped it, laying it long ways next to her before climbing under the blankets once more.

As she lie there, trying desperately to relax enough to sleep, her subconscious continued to nag her, _Come on…you know you want to…_ while Josie steadfastly refused to give in. _No, I won't…I don't need it. I won't do it,_ she thought back, fully realizing the foolishness of arguing with oneself.

Many more silent, tense minutes passed, and Josie finally relented. Pushing aside the covers again, she felt along the floor for the clothes she'd discarded earlier. Closing her hand upon soft, brushed cotton, she brought the sweater to her lap before holding it to her face and inhaling deeply as Sam's scent swirled around her. Blinking back tears and scolding herself for her own foolishness, she laid the sweater over the lengthwise pillow, laid her head upon it, and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would claim her at last.


	13. Chapter 13

Snowbound  
Chapter 13

-

Long after the crackling flames dwindled to glowing embers, Sam laid with his hands beneath his head staring into the hearth. He'd resignedly given up on sleeping hours ago.

No matter how many times he'd tried to drift off, the tension he felt would not subside. Perhaps it was because he'd see Josie on the inside of his eyelids every time he closed them, or perhaps it was the knowledge that the real Josie lay just feet from him in the bedroom…he wasn't sure which. All he knew was that tonight slumber would not be a refuge from the reality of the moment: that he was trapped in a three room cabin during the middle of a huge blizzard with the one person he'd hoped he'd never see again.

Above the howling of the wind and the tapping of icy flakes against the windows, Sam caught himself several times holding his breath, just to see if he could hear Josie breathing.

Shaking his head in self-disgust, he shoved himself up on his elbows. Without the warmth of his sleeping bag to protect it, his skin registered the cool drafts wafting about the living room. So, with a sigh and a shiver, Sam extracted himself from his cocoon and grabbed a few logs to toss onto the embers before they were too cool to catch the new wood on fire.

A glance at his watch told him it was almost quarter to four. With a weary sigh, Sam cast an eye toward the bedroom doorway, imagining the soft pillows and a comfortable mattress piled with warm down blankets that he had planned to be sleeping under tonight. Instead, Josie had gotten that privilege while he spent the night on the cold, drafty floor.

Muttering an expletive under his breath, he nodded grimly as the logs he'd added to the hearth caught fire at last. The sudden increase in heat blasted him, prompting Sam to push himself back a few more feet to sit on top of his sleeping bag.

Sam tried hard to remain reasonable. After all, Josie was injured. It only made sense that she took the bed and he the floor. Still, lack of sleep fueled his resentment. Rolling his eyes, he muttered to himself, "Sam, you're a chump." He stood, meaning to straighten out his sleeping bag before getting back in it, but once he had his legs under him, he realized that the call of nature was beckoning…and it needed to be taken care of soon.

Letting out an audible sigh, he walked over to the table between the chairs and picked up the box of matches, using one to relight the kerosene lamp he'd blown out several hours ago. Lowering the lantern wick so that there was just enough light to see by, he padded barefoot from the living room to the bedroom, needing to cross through to get to the bathroom.

Sam kept the lantern in his left hand, as far away from where Josie lay as possible so as to not wake her with its light. There was also that pesky irrational temptation to watch Josie sleep to deal with, but Sam refused to give in to that urge. After all, it wasn't as if his imagination didn't cause enough trouble without giving it more ammunition…

Stepping into the bathroom, he half closed the door (to shield him from Josie's view should she actually wake), set the lantern down on top of the toilet tank, lifted up the seat, and relieved himself. Once he was finished and fully clothed once more, he flushed the toilet, breathing a sigh of relief when it worked properly; this meant that, for now at least, the generator was still working, providing just enough heat to the pipes to keep them from freezing.

As Sam rinsed his hands in the sink under ice-cold water, he couldn't keep his teeth from chattering. Turning the taps off, he turned to pull the towel he'd used that morning off the rack to dry his hands…and immediately came face to face with two matching pair of bra and underwear, drip drying over the shower rod. Sam felt his mouth drop open before shutting it abruptly.

In the dim light, it was hard to tell what color they were, but they were pale, pretty, and tasteful…._and **really** not what I need to be looking at right now,_ he reminded himself as he speed-dried his hands, stuffed the towel back onto the rod hastily and turned his back on the sight.

Picking up the lamp, he closed his eyes briefly to block out the image, but instead, his mind simply imagined Josie _in_ the said articles, which certainly wasn't helping matters. _Damn, damn, damn,_ Sam thought, _now I have **another** picture I'll never get out of my head!_

Sam took a moment and composed himself. Just on the off chance that Josie woke, he didn't want to give away how flustered he was. Once he felt he was back on an even keel, he pulled the door opened and stepped back into the bedroom.

A floorboard creaked beneath Sam's bare toes, the sound unnaturally loud in a momentary lull in the howling wind. He scrunched his eyes shut and held his breath, as if this would somehow keep the sound from being heard.

Next to him, he heard Josie shift her weight on the mattress, but when he heard nothing more, he heaved a silent sigh of relief. He opened his eyes and started to shift his weight to his forward foot when he heard it—a soft, sweet rush of air that whispered past Josie's lips.

Against his will, his eyes were drawn to the direction of the sound, and the sight that met Sam's eyes took his breath away. In the flickering lamplight, her skin glowed and her hair reflected glints of gold…she looked angelic and peaceful in her slumber. Without being aware he did so, Sam turned toward the bed and raised the lantern higher, studying the way the blanket covering her to her neck rose and fell in time with her breathing, memorizing how impossibly long her eyelashes were against her cheeks, freezing this moment in time in his mind.

Again, Josie sighed blissfully and snuggled deeper into a pillow she'd cuddled up to. Sam felt a warm rush shiver through him as he imagined himself in the pillow's place: _Josie's body curved up and pressed against his side, her head gently resting over his heart, a hand curled trustingly into the material of his…_

Breaking from his reverie with a start, Sam peered closer at Josie's pillow in confusion. The covering of it was unlike any he remembered seeing at the cabin. Pushing the lantern closer to Josie, he studied the material closely in the soft, golden circle cast down by the flickering flame.

Suddenly Sam's heart turned over in his chest and then thumped wildly against his ribcage. He sucked in a sudden gulp of breath, trying to stave off the sudden wave of lightheadedness he felt as he recognized the foreign material to be his sweater. The sweater he'd given Josie to wear was now laid carefully over the pillow she was snuggled up to.

There was something so sweet…so endearing about it, about the idea of his sweater serving as his substitute. It made him want to pull her into his arms and hold her protectively…but it also made him want to crawl into the bed, seduce her, make passionate love to her, and make her fall desperately in love with him.

Sam had to take a deep breath to steady himself. Closing his eyes, he thought, _You really are going insane, Sam. You don't want Josie to fall in love with you…you want her to **go away**! You want her **out** of your life…remember?_

Even to himself, he didn't sound very convincing. Frustrated and angered at his own weakness, Sam forced himself to turn away from the enticing sight of Josie in the bed and rush from the room.

In his haste, Sam stubbed his big toe against the raised threshold of the doorway and he hopped about just outside the bedroom door, hissing in painful breaths and thinking long strings of expletives. He hobbled around the sofa to collapse upon his sleeping bag, rubbing his sore toe and cursing the day he'd ever met Josie Geller.

-

Sam rose slowly from the depths of sleep. In his groggy state, he felt warm and cozy. Rested, refreshed, and more satisfied than he'd felt in a long time, he pushed both arms upward to stretch. It was then that he noticed that he was not alone.

Cocking one eye open, he slid his gaze down his bare chest and smiled lazily when he saw Josie curled against him in slumber. Carefully, so as not to wake her, he slid his hand across her bare back to her golden hair, threading his fingers through the fine mane as if to tame its dishevelment.

In response, Josie sighed and snuggled even closer, her hand sliding up to rest over his heart. Sam's heart flip-flopped and he grinned widely; Josie often did that in her sleep and he thought it was adorable.

Sliding his hand from her hair, he drew abstract circles on Josie's back as he whispered a kiss against her forehead. He knew he would never grow tired of waking up like this, with her next to him.

A deep inhale signaled Josie's waking. Squeezing her gently, Sam leaned down and murmured, "Morning, beautiful."

Stretching her body against his like a lithe little cat, she half-breathed, half-groaned, "Mornin'…" Her eyes blinked open and she graced Sam with a brilliant smile.

Immediately, Sam felt his body stir in response, but he was content to ignore it for the moment. He gently tucked the hair on the right side of her face behind her ear and asked, "Did you sleep well?"

Josie slid her arm up, leaning her elbow against Sam's chest and resting her chin in her palm. "Yes..." she answered softly. Mischief twinkled in her eyes as she continued, "…_eventually_…"

A chuckle rumbled through Sam's chest, shaking them both. "Well, I can't help it," he said, grasping Josie by both elbows and gently tugging her over to rest on top of him. "You're irresistible."

Immediately, Josie's cheeks flushed pink and she cast her eyes down to his chest demurely, embarrassed but pleased. She looked up and countered, "But you're biased…"

Sam rolled over so that now Josie was pinned beneath him and he grinned cheekily. "Darn right I am. Got a problem with that?"

"No…" The word trailed off into a sigh as Sam buried his face in Josie's neck to smother it in kisses. "Oh, Sam…" she breathed, her hands sliding along his shoulders as she unknowingly pressed her bare chest against his in response to what he was doing to her.

Again, Sam felt the desire in him rise, but again, he held it in check. They had all the time in the world for that. Resting his head in his hand, he trailed the fingers of his other hand down Josie's cheek. "So…what do you want to do today?" he asked her tenderly.

"Besides _this_ you mean?" Josie pressed her hips upward against Sam's saucily.

Sam shook his head and smiled in amusement at Josie's brazen behavior. "Yes, Miss Temptress…besides that."

Josie's shell-pink lips puckered into a pout. "That's Mrs. Temptress to you."

Sam grasped her left hand in his right and brought it to his lips, whispering a kiss against her left ring finger and the two rings that were nestled there. "So it is," he responded gently. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before Sam prompted, "But you still didn't tell me what you want to do…"

"Right now?"

Sam nodded bemusedly.

"Well…" The mischievous glint was back. "I'm simply _ravenous_…" Josie said as she stretched her arms over her head in such a way to call obvious attention to her bare chest.

Sam knew Josie was just teasing him, but his eyes were still drawn right to where she wanted them to go. He simply couldn't help it. He felt his resolve to hold off until later start to slip. "Uh, huh…" he breathed, his mouth going dry.

Josie deftly slid her legs out from beneath Sam's to the edge of the bed. Grinning impishly, she sat up and said, "For breakfast, that is…" She flung off the covers and pushed herself upward, intent on bolting for the bathroom, but she didn't even make it one step before Sam had clasped his arms around her waist and rolled her over him onto her back on the bed next to him.

Josie giggled delightedly at having been caught.

"You're absolutely incorrigible," Sam accused with a smile.

"Yep," Josie said proudly, leaning forward to peck a kiss to Sam's nose. Then, she trailed her hands languidly down his chest to his waist.

Sucking in a breath in response to her touch, Sam mock-lamented, "I think I've created a monster…"

Josie's hands traveled lower, with only the bunched up sheets between her fingers and his sensitive skin. "Yes, I think you have." Finding her target, she squeezed lightly, making him gasp. "Got a problem with that?" she asked, mimicking Sam's response to her from earlier.

Rolling back on top of her, Sam pulled Josie's hands away from him to pin them at either side of her head. "Not. At. All." He responded succinctly, punctuating each word with a kiss on each of her eyes and then the tip of her nose. "However, we're going to miss breakfast if we don't go downstairs soon…" Josie's stomach took that opportune time to rumble loudly, setting them both to giggling.

Josie slid her arms out from Sam's grasp and linked them around his neck. "I know; you're right." Suddenly, a shadow crossed her features and the smile slid away.

Instantly, Sam's brows drew together with worry. "What? What is it?"

Josie's eyes slid away from his, as if her thoughts ashamed her. "I was just thinking…"

"Uh huh…about what?" Sam softly pushed a stray hair from Josie's cheek and waited.

"About…what would have happened if you hadn't shown up that day…" Josie blinked her eyes rapidly as if trying to hold back tears.

Instantly, Sam knew what she meant. "Aw, Josie…" He slipped both his arms around Josie's back and held her to him gently. "Shhh…" he soothed as he heard a suspicious sniff in his ear. "Don't worry about that now…It didn't happen now, did it?" Sam leaned back and lightly chucked Josie under her chin. "Right?"

Josie nodded and sniffled. "I know, I know…But it _could_ have, Sam…"

Sam sat up and pulled Josie into his lap, holding her. "But it didn't," he repeated soothingly. "I'm right here."

Josie turned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as if holding on for dear life. "I can't even imagine what life would have been like without you."

Sam's heart clenched in his chest and he felt as if he couldn't breathe. "I know…" he choked out past a lump in his throat.

In a strange sense of deja-vu, it was if Sam was looking at himself in the mirror, except it was a different him…the Sam that _had_ chosen differently. Suddenly, he _could_ imagine what it would have been like without Josie…and it was a miserable, lonely existence.

He squeezed Josie closer to him, trying to gain strength from the warmth of her body…but it was if she wasn't even there. Nothing could touch him. Instead, Sam was cold, inside and out…and still, all he could see was himself, the self without Josie. The image grew larger and larger, as if he were falling into it. Sam reached outward, backward, trying to latch onto Josie, to have her pull him back from this nightmare…but there was only air where she should have been.

Desperately, Sam clenched his left fist, and for a moment, he felt the weight of the gold band Josie had given him just yesterday pressed against his palm. But it seemed to melt before his eyes, smoke rising up and away from him, carrying it into the ether.

"No!" he gasped. And still he was falling…falling away from Josie…away from the life he knew and loved…

-

Sam jerked awake, gasping and shaking, Josie's name on his lips in a tormented whisper. He was drenched in sweat, even in the chilled night air. Placing a trembling hand over his pounding heart, Sam flopped limply back against the sleeping bag.

He'd had many, many dreams about Josie in the last seven months, but none had ever felt as real as this one. In these first moments after waking, it was as if he could still see through the looking glass to the other side…at what his life could have been had he chosen to forgive…to believe. The hollow where their love had been ached and gnawed at his insides.

In his weaker moments over the past months, he'd caught himself wondering what might have been, but had never quite been able to imagine it. Now…he no longer had to wonder. Of course, that's if Josie had actually told the truth in her article…and that was a very big if.

His mind slipped back to that day when Aldys had given him Josie's letter. A pang of regret washed over him as he thought of that sad little envelope still sitting in his desk drawer at South Glen South. Right now, he wished to God he'd read it. Maybe it wouldn't have changed his mind about Josie…but maybe it would have.

All he could think was that, if he'd been wrong about Josie…then he'd abandoned his true love, not once…but _twice_; and the thought was almost more than he could bear.

_Sam, you're being ridiculous_…he tried to reason against the tide of emotion. _You're wishing for something that could never have been. That dream was about the Josie you loved, not the **real** Josie. You've got to stop torturing yourself and move on!_

Logically, he knew he was right. He was torturing himself, and for what? For a woman who'd made him fall in love with her just so she could ruin his life…for the sake of her precious career.

"Okay, that's enough…" Sam said aloud to himself. He shimmied out of the sleeping bag without unzipping it and hastily rolled and tied it, setting it out of the way in the corner. He piled a couple of logs onto the dying fire and sat down to tug on his snow boots. While he was relieved that the generator was still working, he knew that the fuel must begetting low. It would need to shovel a path to it just to refill it…and there was no better time to get started than the present.

Sam shrugged on his coat, tucked his hat on his head and stuffed his hands into his gloves before stepping into the blustery dawn.

He grunted as he dug into the deep snow and shoved it aside. He hoped the physical labor would get his mind off his problems. Yet, even as he worked, still the dream would not let loose of his soul. It stuck in the recesses of his mind, refusing to go away.

Leaning heavily on the handle of the shovel, he wiped snow away from his eyes as he squinted back toward the cabin. Like it or not, he could not forget how it had felt to hold Josie in his arms and know in his heart and soul that she loved him as much as he loved her. And even though he still thought he was crazy for even thinking it, Sam couldn't help but seriously wonder for the first time since he'd walked out of her life: _What if? What if I was wrong?_


	14. Chapter 14

Snowbound, Part 14

Sam stepped inside the cabin, closing the door against the swirl of snow that threatened to follow. Still troubled, he sighed as he peeled off his wet hat and gloves and shrugged off his coat. That dream of his had shaken him up but good and he just couldn't seem to push it out of his mind. As naïve and stupid as it seemed, a small part of him still desperately wanted to believe that Josie had never meant to hurt him, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Sam feared that her prolonged proximity was undermining his common sense. He felt dangerously off kilter and out of control; like Alice walking through the Looking Glass. Suddenly, everything looked and felt just a little bit different, even though he could not put his finger on what had changed. Shaking his head as if to clear the image, Sam headed to the kitchen to rustle up some breakfast.

-

In the dark, Josie awoke to the smell of frying bacon. She closed her eyes and took a deep sniff, just able to hear the popping and crackling of the cooking meat over the howl of the still whipping wind. She cracked one eye open and found that the day appeared as snowy as ever, which meant at least one more day in Sam's company. After their confrontation last night, Josie wasn't sure if she could handle it. Sam's presence was definitely getting to her; her heart ached just at the thought of him.

Josie wondered for a moment whether Sam was making a breakfast for one or two. _Well, there's only one good way to find out…_

Sighing loudly, Josie pushed aside the covers and sat up. In such a small cabin, she couldn't possibly avoid Sam forever. _Might as well get it over with_, she thought grimly, reaching for her bathrobe.

-

Sam's mind was elsewhere as he turned bacon strips and flipped pancakes. No matter how hard he tried, he could not seem to keep his mind from straying back to the contents of his dream…and from the pain he'd seen in Josie's eyes last night during their argument. An ache settled in behind his ribs to the point where he began to stretch his back, thinking he'd pulled a muscle from shoveling. But, to his dismay, he realized the pain was not muscular. Instead, it smacked of a guilty conscience.

Regardless of what had happened between he and Josie in the past, Sam knew his mother would be mortified if she could have seen how he'd been treating Josie. He'd been brought up to treat women with respect, and—up until now—had never failed to do so. But in the past 24 hours, he had let his emotions get the better of him, and had taken out his frustrations on Josie.

Sam felt out of place within his own skin. Never before had he needed to remind himself to be polite…even with Lara, who had certainly earned more shoddy treatment than she received over the years. Never before had he lashed out the way he had with Josie yesterday. All that he thought he knew about himself seemed to be different with Josie around.

Again, it made Sam feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland, which brought Lewis Carroll's words to mind. Mostly to himself, he recited:

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves  
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe…

But before Sam could continue, a soft voice behind him cut in and completed the famous stanza:

…All mimsy were the borogoves,  
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Sam turned to find Josie in the doorway, her eyes downcast, her hands twisting together nervously. With a mental vow that he would endeavor to be polite and respectful today no matter what, he greeted her with a cordial, "Good morning."

"Morning…" Josie mumbled in return. Stepping across the threshold, she asked Sam, "Would you like some help? Or perhaps…this was a private breakfast?"

Sam frowned and his eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What? Of _course_ you're invited, Josie… In fact, I'm just about done if you'd like to sit down…"

"Are…are you sure?" Josie hesitated, not wanting to intrude. "I wouldn't want to…"

"It's fine, Josie…" Sam interrupted. "Really."

Solemnly, Josie nodded, still not meeting Sam's eyes. She slid out the chair closest to her noiselessly and sat down, meekly keeping her eyes on the table.

Sam slid the last of the bacon onto a paper towel-lined plate and poured the remainder of the liquid fat into an old metal coffee can on the stove's upper shelf. As he placed the breakfast pans into the sink, Sam stared out the window and let out a long sigh as the swirling snow completely blocked his view. _Okay, Sam…you can do this_, he coached himself. _No more outbursts…just calm, cool, collected._

Squaring his shoulders, he grabbed the plates and utensils and brought them to the table, placing one set in front of his spot and one in front of Josie. Then he turned and grabbed a couple of potholders so he could safely transport the hot plates holding the bacon and pancakes to the table. "Here we go…" Sam said, setting them down in the middle of the table so they could both reach.

Sam slid out his chair, prepared to sit, when he realized the table was still missing one thing. "Oops, hold on a second…" he said, even though it was more to himself than to Josie. He disappeared into the pantry for a moment before returning carrying a glass bottle.

Setting it down next to the pancakes, Sam settled into his chair, sliding it forward into place. Peeking at Josie through his lashes, he noticed her eyes were still studying the wood grain of the table. Again, he felt that pang beating against his ribcage.

Trying to sound pleasantly neutral, Sam offered, "Feel free to help yourself. There's plenty, trust me…"

Josie gave Sam a brief look of acknowledgement and quickly lowered her eyes again. She was determined not to give Sam any reason to snap at her today. Her already battered heart couldn't take it.

Sam began filling his plate with breakfast items, yet Josie made no move to fill hers. Shrugging one shoulder, Sam buttered his pancakes and poured on the syrup. Assuming Josie's reluctance to share in the food was because she had quite a bit to say to him about his outburst last evening, he tucked into the food, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

But it didn't come. Longer and longer the silence in the room stretched on, smothering Sam until he couldn't take it anymore. Softly, he said, "Josie…"

"Yes?" she mumbled, not meeting his eyes. In fact, she was sitting so still that Sam could scarcely believe her lips had even moved.

Sam leaned forward, leaning against his elbows. "Josie…" he repeated, more urgently now, "Josie, please look at me."

He watched Josie as her chest heaved and she let out a long sigh. Her shoulders slumped forward as if in defeat, and then she slowly raised her eyes to his.

"Is…" Sam paused, swallowing past the nervous lump in his throat as he tried not to tense up, "Is there something you wanted to say to me?"

Josie's eyes crinkled in confusion. _What did he want from her? What did he want her to say? Was he looking for some sort of apology?_ As desperate as she was to maintain peace between them, she was not going to apologize for something she didn't do…and she couldn't think of anything she'd done wrong. He was the one who had snapped at her, after all. "N..no," she stammered finally.

Sam let that sink in for a moment. Apparently Josie had no intention of calling him out on the carpet for his rudeness, even though, if he were honest with himself, he deserved it.

After a moment's pause, Sam began tentatively, "Well, I have something to say to you."

He hesitated and felt his conscience sting as he watched Josie almost physically flinch. "I'm sorry."

Josie was so stunned; she thought she must not have heard Sam correctly. "W…What?"

A hint of a smile played at the corners of Sam's mouth due to Josie's obvious confusion, but he bit it back, wanting to remain serious for the moment. "I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you."

Sam lowered his eyes, afraid to read reproach in Josie's face…and also to gather his thoughts. "I…" Sam trailed off, not sure how to start. After a moment, he tried again. "Regardless of what happened between us in the past, I haven't been treating you fairly."

"I…It's been hard…seeing you again," Sam admitted softly, staring off at nothing, immersed in his own thoughts. "More difficult than I anticipated, I think. But that doesn't excuse how boorish I've been to you. I've been treating you like an interloper, when in reality I _invited_ you here."

Tears stung at Josie's eyes. She couldn't believe it; Sam was actually apologizing. When Sam finally raised his eyes to hers, she could tell that he truly meant it, too.

Sam saw the unshed tears glittering on Josie's lashes and took that as a positive sign. With a soft smile, he continued, "I assure you that my mother raised me with more manners than I've been displaying in the last 24 hours. I shall endeavor to prove that for the remainder of your stay. I promise."

It took a moment before Josie could find her voice. "Thank you," she whispered hoarsely.

Sam nodded self-consciously. He felt a bit awkward having admitted to something so close to the vest, but accepted it as punishment for his behavior. Changing the subject, he asked, "So, how is your head this morning?"

Josie turned her neck this way and that, tentatively checking for aches and pains. "Seems all right," she admitted, shyly reaching toward the plate of pancakes at last to fill her plate.

"And the muscle stiffness? Is that better, too?" Sam pressed, stabbing at a bite-sized stack of pancakes on his plate.

Josie felt her cheeks flame with embarrassment at the thought of having been so exposed in close proximity to Sam. "Uh…fine." Although it was true, Josie gladly would have lied through her teeth about it just to prevent another experience like that.

Sam chewed and swallowed before replying. "Good." He paused for a moment before continuing, "So, I was listening to the weather last night…and it sounds as if it could be a while yet before the storm breaks."

Josie looked up from pouring syrup on her pancakes and had to forcibly hold back a sigh. _Figures_, she thought. _That's just my luck…_

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was already out this morning shoveling a path to the generator and refilled that, so at least the pipes won't freeze anytime soon, but we might need to bring in more firewood before it's all over."

"Any idea how much snow we've gotten so far?" Josie asked.

Sam's fork stopped halfway to his mouth. "Hard to tell with the wind blowing as hard as it is. The drifts are everywhere. But if I were to hazard a guess, I'd say around 14 to 16 inches so far." He bit off the end of a strip of bacon attached to his fork.

"God, it'll take us a week to get out of here…" Josie moaned in frustration.

Sam shook his head as he swallowed and then said reassuringly, "No it won't. The Blazer's got 4-wheel drive. Besides, Will knows we're here…"

Josie's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "Will? Who's Will?"

"Oh, sorry. Will Parker…the sheriff you met at the accident?"

Josie nodded her understanding.

"He's a friend of mine…_and_ he's got a plow. Once the storm is over, he'll probably be by. After all, I'd think he'd want to check in on you to see how you're doing…"

"Oh," Josie said meekly, dropping her eyes back to her plate. Even though Sam seemed optimistic, she couldn't help but see the time they spent together as a problem. While Sam had apologized for his behavior from the day before—and had truly seemed to mean it—it made her wonder; wonder just how long Sam's "good manners" could last before the frustration of cabin fever set in again.

They finished the rest of their meal in silence that was both comfortable and stifling to Josie. There didn't seem to be any hostility in the air, but being left alone with her own thoughts only made Josie feel sad. After all, while Sam had expressed regret for his rude treatment of her, he'd made no attempts to revisit what they'd been arguing about; namely, discussing the past and letting her explain her actions. And as the moments ticked by, she felt as if something precious were slipping through her fingers.

- -

As Sam drained the last dregs of coffee from his metal cup, he stood, gathering both his and Josie's dishes and carrying them off to the sink. Grabbing the dishtowel laying across the drip-dry rack, he wrapped it around the front of a pot of near-boiling water he'd left heating on the stove and picked it up by the handles. Over his shoulder, he said, "I'm just gonna do up these dishes…"

Josie's chair legs scuffed against the linoleum floor as she stood up. She walked over to stand next to Sam, where he was filling the sink basin with the hot water. "Please let me help."

Sam's eyes flicked toward Josie, taking in the thick pink terrycloth robe with the over-long sleeves before replying, "It's all right, Josie; I've got it. Why don't you go rest in the living room for a bit?"

Josie put both hands on her hips and huffed her impatience at him. "Look, it's _not_ all right," she said plainly. "Not with me. You haven't let me do one thing since I got here. I'm not an invalid, you know. I know how to do dishes…"

Sam took one look at Josie's stubborn expression and had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. She just looked so darn…_adorable_ glaring up at him like that! He put the hot pot aside and put up his hands in a signal of surrender. "All right, if you really want to help…"

"Yeah, I do…" she cut in, still looking petulant.

"Fine," Sam said, turning his eyes away from her and slinging the towel over his shoulder. "You wash and I'll dry."

Mentally, Sam could have kicked himself for saying it. He already didn't like the way his heart was pounding because of his proximity to her. And his reaction certainly didn't improve when she untied the sash to her robe and let it slide off her arms, catching the terrycloth in her hands and tossing it onto the nearest chair back.

Pushing the sleeves of her flannel pajama top up over her elbows, Josie sank her hands in the almost scalding, sudsy water. The warmth surrounding her hands made the rest of her shiver from the temperature difference. Then she grabbed the sponge and started to rinse off a plate.

Standing beside and slightly behind Josie, Sam couldn't keep his eyes off her. That strange feeling of being off-kilter had returned. The moment felt so mundanely domestic; something that couples would normally do together without giving it another thought, but yet it felt so…_right_ that it scared him.

He couldn't help but notice that, even though Josie was covered head to foot in flannel, the soft material still clung to her and flattered her figure in all the right places, making him think of things he shouldn't. Sam thought back to his dream and wondered idly if the real Josie could ever be as mischievous as the dream one was…

A poke in the ribs from Josie's elbow pulled Sam from his reverie. "Hey…you're getting a little behind, there…" Josie said with a hint of teasing in her voice. Sam looked at the drip strainer and found a stack of clean, wet dishes waiting for him.

"Sorry…" Sam mumbled, fumbling with the wet cast iron pan on top before yanking the towel from his shoulder to dry it. Dang it, but she shouldn't be affecting him like this!

"No problem," Josie replied before returning to her washing, humming softly to herself as she worked.

Sam let out a sigh of relief as he realized that Josie hadn't realized anything was amiss with his behavior, but his preoccupation disturbed him. As he'd feared, without his shell of anger to protect him, Sam found himself in a very precarious situation emotionally.

Setting the pan aside, Sam reached for the next item just as Josie was setting a clean coffee cup in the strainer and their fingers brushed. Heat blistered up his arm and settled in the pit of his stomach as he accepted the cup and Josie's hand went back to the sink. Twisting the terrycloth material inside the metal mug, Sam closed his eyes, trying to force his mind to behave.

Yet, it was hard to tune out the way that Josie's breath had caught when their hands had touched, hard to forget the way her eyes closed from the momentary shock and reaction. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Sam knew he wasn't the only one being affected by their nearness…and that thought scared the hell out of him.

The next ten minutes was pure torture for Sam. Whether it was due to some subconscious desire, or perhaps some previously undiscovered masochistic tendency he had, his and Josie's hands had brushed more times than he could count. And every single time it happened, he experienced a jolt of awareness that was as if he'd been struck by lightning.  
By the time the last dish was dry, Sam's heart was pounding so hard, he felt lightheaded.

He pulled out his chair at the table and flopped into it wearily, the internal struggle of fighting off his feelings for Josie having temporarily sapped his strength.

Josie turned and looked at Sam as her brow furrowed thoughtfully. She dried her hands on the towel Sam had left in the drip tray and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sam…are you all right? You look kind of…peaked."

Sam closed his eyes for a long moment, trying to block out the sensation of Josie's soft, warm hand on his shoulder. Then he said, not looking at her, "I'm fine…I just didn't sleep that well last night, I guess."

"Well, that won't do…" Josie said, leaning down to grasp Sam's upper arm and tugging him to a stand. Then, still holding on to his arm, she started dragging him out of the room.

Flustered both by her touch and her actions, Sam stuttered, "Josie…what…what are you doing?"

"Come on," Josie insisted, pulling him out of the kitchen and around the corner into the bedroom.

Sam didn't know what to make of this newer, more assertive Josie; he had seen so little of this side of her last spring. But he certainly didn't like where his mind (all right, his hormones) thought this was leading to…

Once she'd succeeded in yanking Sam into the bedroom, Josie let go of his arm and turned toward the bed, trying to hide an enormous blush that suddenly covered both cheeks. Being alone in a bedroom with Sam Coulson was doing funny things to her insides and her legs suddenly felt like rubber. _Stay on task_, Josie cautioned herself. _Don't think about how you can still feel the warmth emanating from him, or_…

Josie broke off her own train of thought as she stared at the bed in horror. Sam's sweater was still boldly draped across the pillow she'd slept with last night. Quickly, she yanked the offending article of clothing off the bed and tried to surreptitiously drop it onto the floor at her feet as she yanked the covers down.

Sam felt as if he were in some sort of trance. The only thing that moved was his gaze, and it was firmly affixed on and followed Josie. He watched her hastily remove the sweater from her pillow and try to hide it from his view, which (in his mind, at least) only verified that she had slept with it on purpose.

It was as if pieces of a puzzle had slid into place. Heat spread through him like wildfire at the sudden revelation: no matter what the truth was about what Josie had been doing last spring, it could no longer be denied…whether she admitted it to herself or not, whether she was even aware of it, at least _some_ part of her yearned for him, perhaps even wanted him. Sam closed his eyes, trying to force the irrational urge to pull Josie down on that bed with him and make love to her out of his head.

Feeling the heat in her cheeks subsiding somewhat, Josie finally felt it was safe enough to turn around. Sam was still standing right where she'd left him, an odd pained expression on his face. Concern for his welfare pushing to the forefront of Josie's mind, she softly grasped his hand and pulled him down into a sitting position on the bed.

The sudden change in position brought Sam back to the present. Staring up at Josie standing over him, Sam asked, his voice tight and hoarse, "What are you doing to me?"

Josie's eyes shot up to meet Sam's for a moment, wondering if his question was some sort of Freudian slip before shaking her head to push the thought aside. "Tucking you in," she said, pushing against Sam's shoulders to coax him to lie down.

Sam's eyebrows crinkled in confusion even as he felt his body shiver with awareness. Josie still had her hands on his shoulders and was leaning over him. It would be so simple to just slide his hand up her arm, tuck his fingers into those gorgeous golden curls and pull her down to him…

But the moment was gone as fast as it had arrived. Josie stood back up, turning and tugging at the blankets so that they covered Sam up to his chest. Then she reached forward, as if to brush his hair off his forehead gently, but caught her motion midstream and lowered her hand back to her side. Softly, she repeated, "I'm tucking you in. You look worn out; you need some rest."

Leaning up on his elbows and shaking his head as if to clear it, for the first time Sam realized exactly what was going on. "But, wait…what about the fire…and the…"

And now Josie sat down next to Sam, smoothing at the blankets on his chest in a motherly fashion, "Don't worry about it; I'll watch the fire."

"No," he protested, "I don't want you lifting…"

Cutting him off, Josie argued, "…what? A three-pound piece of wood?" She patted his arm as if humoring him. "I'm a big girl, Sam…I think I can handle it."

"But what if…" Sam trailed off as Josie gave him a quelling look.

"No buts," she insisted. "I'm fine; nothing's going to happen to me while you're resting. I promise. Now, would you _please_ get some rest?"

_As if I could actually sleep with the scent of her on the sheets surrounding me_, Sam thought, feeling his stomach muscles tense in reaction. But by the look on Josie's face, it was clear she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Sighing in defeat, he replied, "All right. I'll try."

Josie nodded in approval. "Good." She stepped backward and half-shut the door. "Sleep well." Then she turned and walked out of Sam's line of sight.

Sam let out a long, painful sigh. God, it was pure agony lying in that soft, warm bed with Josie's peach blossom scent wafting around him! Sam's limbs all felt so heavy and warm that he closed his eyes against the sensation. Distantly, he thought to himself that there was no way in these circumstances that he could, would _ever possibly_…

He was asleep.


End file.
